Chapter 24
It is said that in the beginning, gods and dragons created magic, and the power they wielded was raw, pure nature itself.
The power of the gods and dragons who used magic was overwhelming, and the small beings that hatched from their eggs and awakened in this world worshiped them without resistance.
Then, one day, one of the seven gods who created the world came to feel affection for a paltry lifeform.
For that god, such overflowing love was a first, and so the god wished to give anything at all to the one they loved.
When asked what gift it desired, the small lifeform replied that it wanted the power to wield “magic.”
From that point on, humanity became able to use mana.
Over many generations, humanity took the formulas created by gods and dragons and, with knowledge of their own, broke them apart and assembled new magic.
Thus, independent magic was born.
However, compared to the perfect magic created by gods and dragons, it was nothing more than a patchwork stitched together from mismatched fragments.
Because of this, within these fragile magic formulas exist invisible mana links that bind different formulas together.
If one strikes precisely at those gaps, the magic shatters into pieces, a process known as “formula dismantling.”
However, just as the wind never stays in the same place, there was a method far simpler and more reliable than accurately striking moving mana links.
It was to slam an overwhelming amount of mana directly into the magic formula and crush it completely.
And mages who had experienced such a thing even once all spoke in unison.
They called it “the ravaging of formulas.”
***
BOOM! SPLASH!
The wave that swallowed the man did not stop at destroying the temple wall, but shot straight through and burst outside.
The raging torrent swept broadly across the shrubs and trees growing in the courtyard.
The grass was flattened entirely, and several trees, unable to withstand the violent surge, snapped and collapsed.
THUD!
If the corridor they were in, the confessional passage, had not been located at the edge of the Grand Temple, the mana wave would have destroyed every wall in its path, no matter how many layers there were.
“…Hiiik! The temple wall!”
Martio cried out in horror.
“Wow, this is really something…”
Cahena murmured a small exclamation of awe as she took in the devastation left behind by the wave.
The corpse of the Guild of Darkness member, flung away by the mana wave, was nowhere to be seen, as though it had been swept far off.
More importantly, the mass of mana that had been boiling as if it would explode at any moment seemed to have vanished somewhere, for despite its earlier fury, no explosion could be heard from afar.
What this meant was clear.
The magic formula had been erased.
And the one who had achieved the ravaging of formulas was—
CLATTER!
A sharp sound rang out as the bishop, his strength gone, dropped his sword.
At that sound, Cahena’s dark-brown eyes, which had been wavering in confusion, returned to focus.
Martio stared beyond the ruined wall with a face drained of all color, as though even the will to flee had been crushed.
Fear filled the bishop’s eyes.
Cahena turned to look at the one responsible for the magic just now, Aquila Reschenhardt.
Moonlight spilling in through the gaping hole outside settled upon Aquila’s red hair.
A burning crimson.
It felt more intense than any time Cahena had seen it before.
“…Young Master, how did you just use magic?!”
Shen stared at him with his eyes wide, as if he could not believe it.
He already knew that Aquila’s body was in a terrible state due to the collision of blessings.
But Aquila himself was no less stunned by the mana wave.
He turned his gaze to the faint glow still lingering around his fingertips.
‘…All my mana is gone because of that spell.’
A considerable amount of mana stored within his vessel had evaporated in an instant.
Shock spread across Aquila’s face.
How much effort had it taken to accumulate that mana?
Aquila Reschenhardt’s heart, damaged by the collision of blessings, was akin to a cracked ceramic vessel roughly pieced back together.
It had nearly shattered from overexertion, and though Yujelia had filled in the gaps and the protection of the Sun God now barely held it together, it was no exaggeration to say it was in a precarious state.
And it was into that very vessel that Aquila, from the moment he opened his eyes, had steadily accumulated mana whenever he had time.
So-called mana breathing.
It was a breathing technique he had devised during a past cycle when he had lived as a druid.
Even with that method, he could not completely prevent mana from leaking away, but he had still managed to build up a respectable amount.
Solely through Aquila’s knowledge and effort.
And yet, all that time had been wiped away by a single skill?
On top of that, the bonus effect from the Holy Grail had doubled his mana, and even that had been completely drained to the last drop.
“Hah.”
A hollow laugh escaped Aquila without his realizing it.
DING!
A new notification appeared before him in his dazed state.
【Skill description has been updated!】
【Shortcut ‘GO’】
Aquila immediately opened the skill window.
And he noticed that the skill name, which he had already checked once and had been written in gray text, had now changed to yellow.
His eyes quickly moved downward.
On the final line of the skill, “Grace That Waters the Fractured Earth,” written in red letters, were the words:
【Daily skill usage limit exceeded!】
【You may use it again at 6 a.m. the next day!】
“This lunatic piece of—”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
When Aquila muttered without managing to swallow the curse that had surged up, Shen turned to him.
Despite Shen’s voice being filled with concern and confusion, Aquila had no presence of mind to respond.
If it drained all his mana and could only be used once per day, the efficiency was abysmally low.
‘Is this not a complete scam?’
Cursing Raspalara in his heart, Aquila closed the skill window.
As if it had been waiting only for him to finish reading, the light that had lingered around his fingertips finally faded away.
At the same time—
BEEP!
A warning sound audible only to Aquila shook his mind.
【Mana below 1 percent!】
A red warning screen filled his vision.
‘Damn it!’
Aquila squeezed his eyes shut.
As if he knew what pain was about to come.
And as though to fulfill that expectation, a sensation of emptiness washed over his entire body in an instant.
“Hngh…!”
“Young Master?!”
It felt as though all the blood had drained from him, leaving his head icy cold.
As if someone were gripping his body and dragging him downward, the ground beneath his feet seemed to give way.
As Aquila staggered and nearly collapsed, Cahena hurriedly caught him.
“Little Young Master! What is—!”
The moment Cahena saw Aquila drenched in cold sweat, her flustered expression froze solid.
“Could it be… mana exhaustion?”
“Mana exhaustion? Th-Then because of that spell just now…?”
Shen’s head snapped toward the collapsed wall.
Because it had been a mana wave rather than a physical one, there was no lingering trace, but the hole left behind was enormous.
Shen’s face turned pale as he stared at it.
“Th-Then what, what should we do…!”
“If it is mana exhaustion, we need a priest!”
Mana exhaustion was no different from starvation.
A frantic struggle to draw in external mana, rushing outward in search of it after suddenly being emptied.
That was the berserk state known as mana exhaustion.
And because the mana vessel cracked during this process, a priest was necessary.
Aquila flinched as he clutched at the clothes near his heart.
In his vision, the protection of the Sun God began flickering wildly once more.
‘Why does it always come to this? It is becoming a habit…’
His vision spun.
As Aquila began to retch, Shen abruptly turned his head.
“Should we threaten him into treating you? He is only alive thanks to you, after all.”
“Hiiik…!”
Shen’s ghostly expression was so menacing that even Martio, upon meeting his gaze, recoiled in fear.
“That is not a bad idea. Should I bring him over after giving him just one hit?”
As Cahena chimed in, Martio shrieked and stumbled backward.
“This is not the time for jokes…”
Aquila groaned, clutching his aching head.
He heard Shen protest, “I was not joking,” but Aquila let it slide.
Even with his dulled senses, he could hear footsteps approaching their location.
Not only from the confessional corridor, but also from beyond the collapsed wall.
Even without straining to listen, the sounds were growing louder.
CLANK, CLANK.
Not the sound of simple footsteps, but the heavy clash of metal.
Martio, who had not even dared to think of fleeing, snapped his head up at that sound.
It was the sound of armor.
Cahena effortlessly lifted Aquila into her arms and whispered so that only they could hear.
“Should we run before they get any closer, just like this?”
“…What?”
“It would be difficult, but honestly, it is not impossible, right?”
There was a strange hint of playfulness in her voice, but Cahena was not smiling.
She was simply stating a fact.
As she said, if she pushed herself somewhat, escaping from this place would not be difficult given her abilities.
But doing so would place them completely at odds with the Temple of the Sun.
There was no way Cahena did not know that.
Which meant—
It was her way of saying that she would follow whatever command Aquila gave.
Even though she knew that entrusting Aquila’s condition to those approaching would be easier and faster than taking Martio with them or waking Yujelia, who was unconscious inside the confessional chamber.
‘Perhaps the real gain here is not the skill, but Cahena…’
Such a thought drifted through Aquila’s fading consciousness.
So instead of forcing out an answer, he pressed his palm against the envelope tucked inside his jacket.
Noticing the gesture, Shen swiftly pulled the envelope from Aquila’s inner pocket.
Proof of the transaction between the Guild of Darkness member and Bishop Martio.
That was Aquila’s answer.
They had physical evidence, so there was no need to retreat.
Understanding his meaning, Cahena and Shen exchanged a glance, then nodded toward Aquila.
“Leave it to us.”
Cahena’s response was firm.
Aquila finally let his spinning head fall.
BEEP!
As if to reaffirm his condition, the warning sound pierced his ears once more.
And then—
Martio suddenly rose to his feet and shouted.
“You brigands who came to destroy this sacred temple! You know your own sins!”
At Martio’s loud voice, the heavy footsteps that had been moving as one abruptly stopped.
They had formed a circle, surrounding Aquila’s group and Martio.
Soft moonlight poured in through the collapsed wall.
Silver armor.
And the emblem of the Sun God Raspalara set at its center.
There was only one place where armor bearing Raspalara’s emblem upon the chest could be worn.
The holy knights of the Grand Temple of Portplum.
They had revealed themselves.
The armored figures, each with a hardened expression, stepped aside in disciplined unison.
From behind them, someone familiar walked forward.
An upright, confident stride that was painfully familiar.
“Our beautiful and proud temple’s wall has collapsed. Might I ask what exactly happened here?”
Saint Ianpel spoke in a gentle voice that did not fit the situation at all.
‘It is impressive how he manages to show up at the worst possible time, every single time…’
After confirming the shimmering, water-colored hair in his vision, Aquila finally closed his eyes.
He felt Cahena lifting his body.
And that was as far as it went.
“Please, help him!”
With Shen’s final words, Aquila lost consciousness.