40 - The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Family Wants A Divorce

The Distinguished Family's Son-in-Law Wants a Divorce, Chapter 40 > Book Bunny - Web Novel Archive "......." "......." A cold wind swept between the two who were facing each other. The tip of the attitude directed at the ground seemed almost as if it were bowing its head. "People naturally have mana accumulated in their bodies. We absorb mana dispersed in the atmosphere," explained Rihanna quietly. "It's not like the unused mana keeps building up indefinitely. The amount of mana the body can innately accept is limited. Once it exceeds that, it's naturally expelled." Via breathing, sweat, excretion, sleep, and so on. The body has ways to prevent excessive amounts of mana from being stored internally. If mana accumulates excessively, it can lead to the body swelling in ‘mana saturation syndrome’ or crystals forming on the organs known as ‘mana stones.’ On a mental level, one might experience ‘mana mania.’ "You're overwhelmingly deficient in storage capacity. Honestly—" Rihanna hesitated for a moment, stammering as though unsure of how to explain. "It's not as much as... a wolf. Maybe less than a dog. No, maybe a lot less." "......." "I’m not sure about a tree either. But it’s definitely more than a flower. That’s certain." "You said more than a flower to try and comfort me, didn’t you?" Rihanna pressed her lips together. Isaac, knowing her well, realized that her last remark was meant as a consolation. However, to others, it might have sounded like mockery. "Well, aura isn’t the quintessential thing, right?" Silvanna, who was listening nearby, awkwardly attempted to offer comfort. In truth, not being able to use an aura did not amount to a significant weakness. The Great Master hadn’t mastered aura at all. "I haven’t really used an aura until now. Father-in-law hardly uses it either." In the case of Caldias, he held a somewhat skeptical view of aura. However, this wasn't because he couldn’t handle it, but because he focused on spear techniques assuming common soldiers, among whom those who could wield aura were extremely rare. "I agree. Just because you can wield aura, it doesn’t necessarily measure strength." Rihanna added her view to Silvanna’s. There could be difficulty in handling it, but that didn’t mean just being able to handle it assured excellence in martial prowess. "But it’s necessary." Isaac needed the aura. Especially after sparring with Sharen’s opponent, this notion became more steadfast. "......." "......." As the two women shared Isaac’s trouble as if facing their own, they heard the distant sound of a bell. Dang! Dang! Dang! Three times. "Looks like there's an attack on the front barricade." With her spear rested on her shoulder, Silvanna started running promptly, and the other two followed. * * * The attack on the front barricade lasted until noon. The situation was wrapped up when Silvanna’s spear pierced through the named monstrous beast, the troll, which was in command. The battle that had begun early in the morning finally concluded only after noon had passed. Isaac soon found himself once again inside the castle at the medical office. "Th-thank you— Argh!" "Careful. You’ve still got spikes lodged in your body. Don’t speak." Isaac, who had helped a soldier impaled by troll-spikes into the medical office. He had taken responsibility because the spikes were those he had dodged. "Oh dear, from morning, everything's been so..." A dark-circled mage darted around the medical office, inspecting the soldiers. Isaac watched, expecting to see healing magic at work, but instead observed the mage using large sanitized tweezers to remove the spikes before stopping the bleeding. As he watched the scene, the mage, with a worn-out face, smiled slyly while clinking the tweezers. "When I first came, I brought a pair of forceps, but now I’ve discarded all of them. Tweezers are best for extracting spikes as thick as a person's arm. I got them from the chef." "My name is Isaac." "Oh dear, I didn’t introduce myself." The mage rubbed his hands on his robe. "I’m Vivian, a mage from the tower." "You seem to handle more than just magic." Isaac murmured, glancing at other soldiers recuperating on the beds. It seemed her basic medical knowledge was considerably adept beyond merely healing magic. "Ha-ha, healing magic is scarce. Unless it's for a truly urgent case, we treat directly. To wield healing magic, one needs this kind of knowledge." Though her appearance was haggard, she seemed to possess a surprisingly friendly demeanor. Her tired exterior might imply how challenging the dispatched mission in Maledon had been. "May I ask you something?" This was a good opportunity. He was pondering over mana-related concerns since early this morning, and here was an expert at hand. "Well, there’d be nothing but broth-less soup in the dining hall now anyway." Vivian laughed playfully. "What are you curious about?" "I’m naturally deficient in terms of mana storage." Vivian’s smile slowly waned. Innocuous eyes became painted with a shade of sagacity. "I want to increase it a bit if possible. Is there a method?" "Hmm." Nodding, Vivian slowly approached the window, jestingly pointed for him to jump out. "Go and reincarnate, really. There’s no other way. Do you know where mana is stored, Isaac?" Like in a play. Vivian’s voice grew more excited as she strode back towards Isaac. "The heart. It’s the heart. For heaven’s sake, is there anyone who can change their heart and live? I’ve never seen one, nor heard." "......." "That’s why it’s called a core, ‘mana core’. This is why mages are a rarity." Vivian’s face brimmed with pride as she placed a hand over her chest, as if safeguarding a precious treasure. "It’s predetermined from birth." 'They say mages have a superior mentality.' It seems the mage society employs a different hierarchy. An independent magic tower, not affiliated with any kingdom. It has just two distinctions in its hierarchy. Mages and others. To them, even nobles or royalty are merely lower-class individuals who cannot wield magic. "There are various elixirs in the world. As you might know, the Helmont's Roselixir is one of them." Though Vivian tried to maintain a polite tone, her demeanor and attitude were anything but courteous. “Enhancing physical abilities is deeply linked to mana, but it doesn’t increase the amount of mana.” It seemed that Isaac's attempt to touch upon what was an absolute truth to mages had irked Vivian quite a bit. “It’s unfortunate, but there are things set from birth.” Vivian bowed slightly with a smile. "That's why people are fascinated by geniuses. They possess what others can never have." "......." "Does this answer your question?" "In its own way." Isaac nodded, his expression remaining unchanged from before he had asked. His face, fraught with contemplation, showed no signs of considering giving up as an option. "It seems like my answer didn’t satisfy you." Vivian seemed somewhat displeased. She had taken the time to explain and persuade, yet Isaac’s expression remained identical to before her explanation. "Listen well. Among the tower's theses, there's one on ‘The Correlation Between Background and Mana Storage Capacity’—" "If you had been low on mana, would you have given up being a mage?" "You're just interrupting now... Of course. It’s a realm of talent. Why challenge the impossible? One should give up." It’s an area where those without talent can’t even get a foothold. "But there are people who can’t give up." Isaac could say this because, even when injured, he never relinquished the sword. "We don’t seem to quite match." Vivian, thinking the conversation futile, pouted slightly and resumed checking on the soldiers. Watching his back, Isaac scratched his cheek, embarrassed. 'I guess I align more with someone like Jonathan.' Jonathan, who, driven by his admiration for Arandel, abandoned his instincts to become a knight of Helmont, reminded Isaac of himself. Seeing no further use in the conversation, Isaac stepped out of the medical office. "Ah, here you are." Silvanna, who had excelled today, was waiting in the hallway. "... Weren’t you going to have lunch?" "I planned to eat with you, didn’t I? Ta-da." She held out a basket filled with sandwich ingredients. "If you go to the dining hall now, it'll be a second battle. Eating away from there is better." "When did you prepare this?" Judging by its condition, it didn’t seem freshly prepared today. It felt like she packed it last night, which wasn’t Silvanna’s usual style. "Ahem, why does that matter?" ‘Anna must have prepared this.’ Not that it’s particularly important. "Let’s go; I’ve brought something special as well." As she rummaged in the basket, she revealed a piece of smoked meat wrapped in large green leaves. It seemed freshly obtained, emitting warm steam and a distinctive smoked aroma. "Quite amazing, right? Have you ever heard of northern troll meat? It’s tough to eat plain, but when smoked the northern way, it tastes extraordinary." "Pfft." "Hey, why are you laughing? This is something you can’t find just anywhere." Coming over, Silvanna gave him a playful shoulder bump and led him away with a smile. "Let’s go. Let’s find a place less windy and enjoy the sandwiches." 'I shouldn’t think like this.’ If she had a tail, one might mistake her for a puppy. It would be wagging behind her back energetically. Clatter. "Ah." That moment Vivian exited the medical office, glimpsing their way briefly before heading to the dining hall, seemingly for lunch. Silvanna, alternating her gaze between the two, asked after Vivian had walked a distance. "Did something happen? Despite appearances, she’s quite amicable with others." "Um..." After simply explaining that it felt like he had touched a sensitive nerve, Silvanna nodded with a complex expression. "I’ve never heard of mana storage capacity increasing either." Isaac felt the same. Even in the future, ten years on, such a person didn’t exist. While casting a glance at Isaac’s conflicted face, Silvanna carefully asked. "Are you going to give up?" "Sorry?" "The aura, are you going to give it up?" "No?" When Isaac responded as if she was asking the obvious, Silvanna’s lips trembled as if trying not to smile. "Why? You can’t do it. It’s difficult with your current mana capacity." "It’s always been like this." Heaving a smile, Isaac moved forward following Silvanna. "I’ve lived hearing nothing but it’s impossible, futile, a delusion. Maybe that’s why I am not particularly moved by such words. Also—" The truth Vivian had unveiled didn’t make a dent in Isaac’s resolve. "I’ve never engaged in an effort proven pointless." Isaac added, scratching his cheek. Even now, the knowledge he accumulated during his Sword Life Days is forming the foundation of his present self. While he’s in the stage of setting the groundwork and preliminary work. Isaac was unmistakably moving forward, one step at a time. "You rascal." Seeing that, Silvanna gave him a pat on the back with a laugh. "Do you find this rewarding, bucko? Huh? You should pray to the goddess every night." "Why?" "Who knows? The goddess might suddenly be moved by your prayers and grant you an ‘immensely majestic gift’!" Silvanna theatrically raised her arms, palms upward. Outside now, the two engaged in light-hearted conversation. "Immensely majestic? What’s with the extra word?" "Because it’s just that immensely majestic." "What nonsense." "Never mind! Just find a place for us to eat! The sandwich with smoked troll meat is truly immensely majestic." Perhaps it was today's success putting her in a good mood. Isaac glanced around and hesitated momentarily. "Are we eating just the two of us?" "Are you uncomfortable? We’re friends, aren’t we?" “T-That’s true.” "Don’t worry about weird things while being a married man." What was this? Although Isaac had politely used his status as a married man to deflect Silvanna's advances, he felt she seemed even more comfortable approaching him under that pretense. "Why, Mr. Married Man? We can call your wife over and share the meal if you’d like." "No, that's okay." Isaac’s response was as sharp as a blade. "I thought so." Unfortunately, Silvanna's cheeky whisper was whisked away by the northern winds before it could reach Isaac’s ears.