ICETF 12🌻

Chapter 12….

Mana (1)

For a long time, the Enright Unified Empire had ruled the Riment Continent.

But that was now a story from decades past.

The Unified Empire had collapsed under the rule of the Sword Lord, and the continent was divided into fifteen administrative districts.

A new governing system established by the Sword Lord.

Each administrative district possessed territory comparable to a kingdom, and within it belonged dozens of fiefdoms—a newly established system.

The Crotan Administrative District, to which the Irons Estate belonged, was located in the northern part of the continent and surrounded by sea on three sides.

As a result, sea routes heading south naturally flourished.

Among them, Chrome—where merchant ships and passenger vessels had flowed endlessly since ancient times—was the largest port city in the Crotan District.

Living up to its reputation, dozens of sailing ships departed from Chrome Harbor each day.

The mid-sized passenger ship carrying Yuri and Yohan was one of them.

Flap—

Having left Chrome Harbor, the passenger ship caught a favorable wind, its sails swelling wide.

Splaash—

Cutting through the waves, the ship surged forward, beginning its four-week voyage toward the Niger Administrative District.

Inside a shabby two-person cabin—

Yohan was looking down at the unconscious Yuri.

“Ugh…”

Even while deeply unconscious, to the point where he could not wake easily, Yuri let out faint groans.

An incredulous look filled Yohan’s eyes.

“What a tenacious brat.”

It was pure admiration.

‘To think he actually pulled it off.’

The day Yohan had explained the basics of mana and magic power to Yuri—

He had promised that if Yuri could cut the four-day journey to Chrome Harbor down to two days, he would initiate him into mana.

Though Yohan had set the condition at two days, he had believed it practically impossible.

Halving a four-day journey was only possible if one ran day and night without rest.

No matter how much Yuri’s stamina had improved recently, it was nearly impossible for someone who had not yet accumulated mana.

But Yuri had accomplished the impossible.

Through sheer willpower alone.

‘He may have thrown away his manners, but his determination is impressive.’

The moment Yuri stepped into the outskirts of Chrome Harbor after covering the four-day distance in two days, he had gloriously collapsed on the spot.

A faint smile touched Yohan’s lips at the memory.

But the warm smile quickly twisted into something sly.

“Heh heh. Naive kid.”

That little brat probably didn’t know.

Even if he hadn’t pushed himself to reach Chrome Harbor, Yohan had already planned to move him to the next stage after finishing the physical training.

If Yuri learned that fact while conscious, he would surely grind his teeth in rage.

Imagining it, Yohan wore a satisfied smile.

“He reacts every time I prod him. Teasing him is surprisingly fun.”

At first, Yohan had provoked him just enough to stimulate motivation.

Now, he did it simply because Yuri’s bristling reactions amused him.

Recently, it had become Yohan’s only source of entertainment.

“Is this why old men raise disciples? With this kind of fun, the later years wouldn’t be boring.”

…A statement that would have driven Yuri mad had he heard it, but Yohan muttered it casually.

Erasing his smile, Yohan reached out toward Yuri.

Soon his hands began kneading Yuri’s entire body.

Face, torso, arms, and legs.

There was no hesitation in Yohan’s touch, yet every movement was careful and deliberate.

Steam began rising from Yuri’s entire body.

Sss—

A sharp, unpleasant odor accompanied the rising vapor, which soon dissipated into the air.

At the same time, Yohan’s movements grew even more precise.

Crack—snap—

Strange sounds echoed from various parts of Yuri’s body.

Muscles torn from excessive training were being reconnected, and twisted bones and joints gradually realigned.

A process that would normally take a long time was being drastically shortened by Yohan’s immense mana.

And it was not merely shortening time.

Rip—crack—

The newly formed muscles and bones were settling into positions optimal for Yuri to later learn Martial Body Arts.

It was a procedure that consumed an enormous amount of mana and required profound knowledge of the human body—an extremely dangerous technique.

Even prestigious noble houses guarded such advanced techniques as secret traditions, passed only to heirs who would carry on the family line.

Yet Yohan performed it casually, every single time Yuri lost consciousness.

The reason Yuri felt that his body was not only recovering but growing healthier each time he fainted was entirely due to Yohan’s efforts.

Crackle—snap—

As time passed, the strange sounds from Yuri’s body gradually diminished.

Only when they ceased completely did Yohan withdraw his hands.

“Whew…”

Yohan let out a quiet sigh, his face slightly fatigued.

Even for him, the procedure had required considerable mental focus.

Yet contrary to his tired expression, his eyes gleamed brightly.

“…A natural martial body.”

There were many traits worthy of such a title—innate strength, elastic muscles, sharp eyesight, and so on.

But Yuri’s innate quality was somewhat unusual.

‘What a curious body.’

At first, Yohan had been rather disappointed by Yuri’s seemingly ordinary physique.

But as time passed, he sensed something off.

And when he finally realized what it was, he was stunned.

‘How can a human body be so symmetrical?!’

A person’s left and right faces are never identical.

People are left-handed or right-handed.

The same goes for their feet.

Even those who use both hands and feet tend to unconsciously favor one side, which develops more.

But Yuri was different.

He used both hands and feet with nearly equal frequency, and their level of development was almost identical.

More astonishingly, he did all this unconsciously, without awareness.

And as Yohan’s treatments continued, Yuri’s body grew even more symmetrical.

‘A symmetrical body means balance.’

For learning Martial Body Arts, that was an immense advantage.

‘Though his body is not perfectly symmetrical today, if someday he achieves complete symmetry and learns to wield it flawlessly…’

If that were to happen, it would become Yuri’s great weapon.

It was a good sign.

But not everything was optimistic.

‘It’s worse than I thought.’

Even the day he first met the boy—when he examined Yuri’s unconscious body—he had vaguely sensed it.

Yuri’s condition was more serious than it appeared.

But now he realized it was several times worse than he had initially judged.

‘How has this brat even survived until now?’

With his body in such a state, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had collapsed dead on the roadside long ago.

The fact that he was still breathing was astonishing.

‘I’ve barely managed to tie together his fraying lifeline…’

But that didn’t mean Yuri was out of danger.

The adjustments made while he was unconscious were merely temporary measures.

If the fundamental imbalance wasn’t resolved, the fragile equilibrium he had patched together would collapse again.

‘His physical deficiencies have been somewhat supplemented through treatment. Now it’s time to fill him with energy.’

Energy.

In other words, mana.

If he could fill him with mana, they could overcome this major hurdle.

It was as Yohan was looking down at Yuri with that thought—

“…Why are you staring at me with such a greasy look?”

Yuri had woken up at some point and was squinting at him.

“When have I ever looked at you like that?”

“Just now.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t have that kind of preference.”

“What kind of preference?”

“The kind you’re imagining.”

“I’m not imagining anything.”

“…Then why are you inching away?”

“For the reason you’re imagining, old man.”

As Yohan had said, Yuri was slowly scooting away from him.

Wriggling sideways while lying down was a talent in itself.

“You little punk…”

As Yohan’s brow twitched, Yuri stopped joking and sat up, looking around.

“Where are we?”

“Took you long enough to ask.”

With a light sigh, Yohan informed him that they were on a passenger ship bound for Niger.

Yuri nodded, then suddenly sprang to his feet.

“Ah, right! The promise!”

“Hm?”

“You said you’d tell me if we made it in two days! Mana!”

“Tsk. I didn’t forget. Sit down.”

“So?”

“I’ll tell you now.”

He had planned to tell him anyway. No reason to drag it out.

“Woooo!”

Overjoyed, Yuri hurried over and dropped to his knees in front of Yohan.

“Quick, quick!”

It was the first time Yohan had seen such sparkling eyes from him.

It almost made him uncomfortable.

Clearing his throat, he began.

“Ahem. Mana is the source of all things and the energy that exists everywhere in this world.”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Furthermore, only when energy is infused into the forms of ordinary physical techniques can they be called Martial Body Arts. Therefore, mana is the foundation of Martial Body Arts.”

“Mm-hmm!”

“…Do you even understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes, sir!”

Yuri nodded vigorously.

Seeing him listen more intently than ever, Yohan grew curious.

‘Just how talented is he with mana?’

A soul powerful enough to summon its own incarnation.

A martial body of perfect symmetry.

His talent in both soul and body had already exceeded Yohan’s expectations.

If his talent for mana were outstanding as well—

No, even if it were merely above average—

‘His growth might far exceed my expectations.’

Yohan swallowed dryly and spoke.

“I’ll begin now. Sit comfortably and straighten your back.”

“Here?”

“Yes. Keep your spine straight and breathe naturally.”

“Close my eyes too?”

“If that’s easier.”

The moment the words ended, Yuri closed his eyes and settled into meditation.

Inhale—exhale—

Yuri’s soft breathing continued, and over it Yohan’s calm voice flowed.

“To enter mana is to first perceive it. From now on, I will release mana around you. Feel it. The mana.”

A rare few geniuses born with extraordinary mana sensitivity could feel and awaken to mana on their own.

Such individuals instinctively accumulated mana in their bodies from childhood.

Unfortunately, Yuri was not one of them.

At present, there was no mana within Yuri’s body.

If he had possessed any, Yohan would have known immediately.

Thus, assuming Yuri’s talent was average, Yohan intended to use the standard method of mana perception.

That method was simple: the caster increased the density of mana around the subject.

The lower the density at which the subject could perceive mana, the greater their talent.

‘Show me. Let me see your talent.’

Eyes gleaming, Yohan released mana around Yuri.

The density of mana rose sharply in an instant.

And at that moment—

Something even Yohan had not predicted occurred.

‘…?!’

The mana he had released—

Sssss—

Was being absorbed by Yuri.

At a terrifying speed.