The Fading Light of the Jewel
One month before the dawn of her fourteenth year, as the jewel began to lose its luster, Princess Adelin Aynis of the Einiss Magic Kingdom was steadily consolidating her power within the kingdom through her Jewel Magic.
At this rate, she was certain she could crush the neighboring kingdom of Terais—which had always scorned the Magic Kingdom—completely before she even turned twenty, ushering the kingdom into its greatest era of prosperity.
But as she pushed toward the next realm, the 6th Circle, she felt an anomaly in her body for the first time.
At first, she dismissed it as mere accumulated fatigue... but even after several days, the strangeness persisted.
Only then did Adelin realize something gravely amiss was unfolding. She halted all her research and focused solely on uncovering the changes in her own body.
A day later.
...What is this?
She discovered that the mana circulating near her heart felt different from usual.
The magic flowing through her veins no longer felt like smooth liquid; it was a jarring sensation, as if tiny, hard grains of sand were scraping against her insides.
The moment she confirmed it, Adelin immediately stopped the mana expansion toward the 6th Circle.
She headed straight to her private laboratory deep within the royal palace, locked the door behind her, and sealed it tight.
From that day, for two weeks...
She allowed no one entry, devoting herself entirely to dissecting her own body like a specimen.
Day after day, she drew her own blood to measure mana density, cast high-level diagnostic spells endlessly on herself, and tracked the minute shifts in her mana circuits.
And so, at dawn on the fourteenth day...
Her hand dropped limply to the floor as she stared blankly at the dozens of transparent mana diagnostic sheets floating in the air.
Petrification Disease.
The talent she had believed was a miracle bestowed by the Creator God to save a poor, ignored illegitimate child... was nothing more than a vicious curse that made the caster's body and lifespan gleam like a beautiful jewel for a fleeting moment, in exchange for those very things.
Each time she drew mana beyond her limits, her cells and blood vessels—and ultimately her heart and organs—hardened into unyielding gems, bringing her inexorably to a suffocating end. A fatal, incurable disease.
"Ahh..."
It was a brutally cold dawn when she realized her brilliant talent was, in truth, a gorgeous poison strangling her own neck.
Fifteen. For a full year, she poured herself into research seeking any clue to cure the Petrification Disease... but all she gained was cruel, unrelenting despair.
Still, she didn't give up entirely.
"If I just control my power now, it should be fine."
If a complete cure was impossible, her only choice was to slow the disease's progress as much as possible.
That was the sole path left to Adelin Aynis.
But with the cancellation of the Terais conquest, cracks began to form in her support base after just two years.
Sixteen. The fissures in her once-solid foundation finally tore open into a massive chasm.
"I've only seen Jewel Magic once in half a year. This isn't what we agreed upon!"
"Old man Joldin's right. I haven't even glimpsed the purest gem crystals we were promised."
"You've seemed off for a year now... Surely nothing's wrong with Your Highness's sacred body?"
The three elder mages—who had been the greatest pillars of her support—began casting suspicious glances her way.
To stem their defection and salvage the situation, Adelin knew she had to provide irrefutable proof, even if it meant pushing herself too far.
And so, amid heart-wrenching agony that felt like it would burst her chest, she succeeded in summoning a massive mana vortex in the air.
She scattered tens of thousands of diamond particles, illuminating the night sky as bright as day.
But the moment she left the elders gaping in awe at the miracle...
Adelin could no longer hold back. She vomited blood right before their eyes.
"Kuhk... Ack!!"
"Y-Your Highness!"
"Are you alright? Someone fetch a healer—now!!!"
Drip, drop.
But what stained the marble floor wasn't red blood.
From her mouth poured grotesque, clotted ruby crystals, hardened and hideous.
"Wh-what is this...?"
"Why are rubies suddenly coming from Your Highness's mouth...?"
"D-don't tell me... this is why you've been holding back all this time?"
From that day, the kingdom flipped upside down once more.
The opposing mages, who had bowed their heads and cowered before her overwhelming power despite scorning her as a bastard, now raised them high again.
As they seized the opportunity and lunged, a desperate Adelin fought back with equal ferocity.
Clutching her steadily petrifying organs.
Suppressing the pain of sharp glass shards tearing her lungs with every breath, she pressed on with the political battles.
Three years she endured alone amid that vicious malice and bodily torment.
Nineteen. As she barely clung to life, prolonging it through sheer endurance, her eyes fell upon an ancient tome in the royal forbidden section.
The Blood Creation Lord...
One of the Seven Demon Lords.
A being who reshaped and ruled blood, flesh, cells—even mana—at will, the most powerful of the Demon King's lieutenants.
If she could seize that power fully for herself...
She could rebuild her endlessly crystallizing organs and mana circuits from scratch.
Yes... this was the final, perfect solution—the Creator God's last chance to overcome the Petrification Disease.
From that day, Adelin devoted two full years to frenzied research on the Blood Creation Lord.
She ran thousands upon thousands of simulations, devising formations night and day to learn how to slay the Demon Lord's kin and absorb its power.
As the frequency of her coughing up blood-red gems into handkerchiefs increased, her obsession only deepened.
Twenty-one.
"...Impossible."
The conclusion after two years of exhaustive effort was utter devastation.
Even mobilizing the full might of the Einiss Magic Kingdom for a one-on-one showdown offered only a thirty percent chance of victory.
And even if they sacrificed half the kingdom to barely slay one lord, the Blood Creation Lord's minions and the other lords wouldn't stand idly by.
Moreover, the Petrification Disease had advanced far; her body was nearing its limit.
With every breath, a stone clattered in her chest.
Overwhelmed by profound emptiness, Adelin set down her pen, ready to accept her fate.
But that was the moment.
The miracle appeared one final time.
"A man claiming to be a hero has appeared."
The news from her sole trusted maid set her faltering heart racing again.
A man marching alone against the Demon King to exterminate all demons.
Hope flickered back to life in Adelin's iridescent eyes, once dulled by despair.
From that day, she tracked the man—Kail—and made direct contact.
"I'll clear your path. In the name of Einiss, I'll provide everything you need to eradicate the demons: supplies, intelligence, and my magic without restraint."
"...What do you want in return?"
"Simple. I need the Blood Creation Lord's heart."
"Not for some evil purpose, I hope?"
"No. To survive."
"...Very well. We have a deal."
It was a thorough transaction.
Even after joining his party, Adelin shared no personal sentiments with Kail.
She treated him like a chess piece moved solely for her gain and purpose, sparing not even a glance for his wounds or past.
Fortune smiled: the king at the time harbored hopes that his genius daughter would cure her illness and lead the kingdom to glory once more, offering unconditional support.
With the Magic Kingdom's vast resources and Adelin's overwhelming firepower, the party's advance was unstoppable.
Twenty-three.
"Insolent... humans......"
They finally felled the Blood Creation Lord.
True to his word, Kail handed her the Lord's core.
Even that impassive man, fearing the dense demonic energy might corrupt her, purified it completely with his White Purification.
Yes... looking back now, that's when she vaguely understood the feeling that stirred whenever their eyes met.
But in the end, she ignored it.
Just before facing the Demon King, in a ritual conducted under flawless control...
With trembling hands, Adelin absorbed the purified Blood Creation power into her heart.
And days later...
"...Ahh."
The result was yet another crushing failure.
The alien sensation when she brushed her forearm: translucent gem crystals protruding from her skin.
Her perfect theory was proven utterly wrong.
The imperfectly purified—and unawakened—Blood Creation power couldn't fully override the deeply etched curse of the Petrification Disease.
No matter how cleanly purified, an incomplete divine power merely prolonged a dying life, like attaching an oxygen mask.
"Ahh... Ah......"
All the desperate struggles of those years.
And the last hope she'd wrung out by exploiting the one man who was truly sincere toward her.
It all shattered into pieces.
On that dark night, as she collapsed fully, ready to abandon her remaining life...
"What a pitiful sight, Princess of Einiss."
In the quiet barracks, amid the shadows, a figure emerged: a cardinal in the uniform of the Harennes Holy Kingdom.
"What business does a holy cur have at the demon frontlines... Kuhk!! Kgh!!"
She tried to raise her magic in alarm, but only chest pains and gem-laced coughs erupted.
"Hahk... Hahk..."
Adelin wiped her mouth, gasping raggedly.
The cardinal, eyes feasting on the princess's wretched form, stepped forward with a benevolent yet chilling smile.
"Woman chosen by the great Creator God. With our Saintess's power, even that vile curse can be washed clean, granting you a new body."
"...What? The Saintess?"
Confirming her wavering gaze, the cardinal leaned in and whispered softly into her ear.
"We ask but one thing. Help us hurl that arrogant false hero into the abyss of ruin. Do so... and you will live."