104 To the Dragon's Tomb
[You have consumed 'Source of Magic +20'.]
[Random magic-related talent will be selected.]
[A formidable power is detected.]
[Talent acquired: 'Magic Power - Light Element (Genius)'.]
{T/n: His first Genius (S) class talent wuhooo... But I don't know why it does not follow the rules already laid by the author}
For a moment, I thought I had read it wrong and looked two or three times again.
'A genius?'
I couldn't help but be surprised by this completely unexpected result.
Based on what I knew, even the highest tier talent could at most be a prodigy level, not a genius level.
"But of all things, the type of talent I got is..."
The first talent I obtained at the genius level was related to magic power, limited only to the light element, and it was a C-grade talent at that.
{T/N: Don't know yet what C-grade means}
'On top of that, learning light element magic is not easy, and it's not particularly efficient.'
I wasn't sure if I should be pleased with this or disappointed.
Of course, it was a bit too early to be disappointed.
I do have an evolution ability, so if I use light magic exclusively for a few years, I might be able to evolve this talent, right?
'I never thought of that, but for now, I should learn light magic.'
Even if it was a waste of a genius-level talent, I had to learn some basic light magic.
Looking at the desk where the Source of Magic and the gold ingots had disappeared, I could only see one remaining gold ingot and some scraps of gold.
"No need to keep this."
Might as well enhance Nickel.
{T/n: Only Nickel gets love from the mc XD}
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In the middle of a well-furnished room stood a massive bed.
On the bed, a figure with pale pink hair lay sleeping, their shallow breaths gradually becoming irregular. Finally, at the end of a shallow breath that turned erratic, the person's eyes opened.
Lucia had awakened, and when a maid saw her, she asked, "Miss, are you feeling better?"
Lucia didn't say anything for a moment and simply stared at the ceiling before slowly getting up.
"Yeah, water."
"Here you go."
After taking a sip of water, Lucia carefully got out of bed.
The maid, who had been watching her anxiously, was ready to support her at any moment.
"Okay. Are you alright?"
"Are you all better?"
"Just a moment."
Lucia felt a lightness she hadn't felt before and rolled on the floor.
Her body didn't ache.
While her treatment had previously been plagued by intense pain, today she felt none of that, and the chronic fatigue and the lingering sense of heaviness seemed absent.
"Catherine, I think I'm all better!"
Seeing Lucia's joyful expression as she moved around the room, the maid named Catherine clapped her hands in delight and quickly informed others of the news.
"Lucia!"
Even the busy work of the Hollington estate came to a halt, and a moment later, the the Viscount rushed in.
He got up and embraced Lucia, who was moving her body around, shedding tears of joy.
"Where does it hurt? Is it true that you're all better now? Aha, it's okay! It's alright!"
Soon, Lady Hollington also entered the room, and Lucia's room became a sea of tears for a while.
Lucia herself looked at her emotional parents with a tender expression.
"You've suffered a lot because of me. I'll definitely become a daughter you can be proud of."
"No, we're satisfied as long as you're healthy."
Drying her tears, Lord Hollington, with a smile on his face, shouted outside the door.
"Albert!"
"Did you call, sir?"
"Today is a happy day. Open up the barn for the festival we had prepared in advance!"
"Yes, sir."
Lucia still found it hard to believe that her illness had completely disappeared. She just watched the situation blankly. Everything felt awkward to her.
Because she was born with a congenital disease, her current state of health, without any illness, felt strange. Her parents shedding tears of joy also felt dreamlike.
'Could all of this actually be a dream?'
While having such thoughts, Lucia was petted by Lord Hollington, who still seemed to be immersed in the afterglow of emotion.
"I wonder what kind of reward would be fitting for Count Cromwell. Is there anything he would like or any hobbies he enjoys?"
"Ah."
Finally, Adrias' name brought Lucia back to her senses.
She owed her survival entirely to Adrias Cromwell.
He was her lifesaver.
'A strange person.'
While making her medicine, he never asked for anything in return.
At first, she honestly thought he was helping her due to the Everlast Guild connection in her background.
Even though they had become closer recently, she couldn't understand him helping her without expecting anything in return.
'He even provided the materials.'
She didn't know what materials they were.
She could only analyze their performance and effects, as they were not ordinary materials that she could easily find.
But even with just that, she could sense that they weren't ordinary materials.
Adrias, who used such materials without asking for anything in return and worked hard for months, felt strange to her.
'Could it be that he likes me?'
She had an odd thought but surprisingly, that was the only answer that made sense.
After all, he was the only senior who had continuously paid attention to her ever since she enrolled.
Suddenly, as she looked at Lucia, Lady Hollington worriedly touched her forehead.
"Do you have a fever? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yes, I'm fine."
Feeling the coldness of Lady Hollington's hand, Lucia was taken aback.
Then she made an effort to erase her thoughts about Adrias.
Returning to her room after the modest party, Lucia thought about what to do next.
First of all, Adrias.
Thanks to him, she had gained a new lease on life, so she felt the need to repay the favor.
'I can't be of any help in my current state.'
Now that she could see a future where she could live, she also began to have ambitions.
Until now, just being alive felt like a breath of relief, but it was different now.
A feeling that had been latent within her.
It was a sense of improvement.
'I have a talent. I used to think it was meaningless and slacked off, but not anymore.'
She wanted to become stronger.
She wanted to become strong enough to stand by Adrias' side.
At least as strong as the Dianne and Vivianne she saw now.
'No, that's not enough.'
Perhaps because she had given up on life once before.
Her desire was proportional to the size of the talent she possessed.
As someone known as a prodigy, she could objectively assess her own talent.
She had just been sleeping, doing nothing more than surviving, but now it was time to spread her wings and soar through the sky.
She hoped everyone would look up to her.
Just like Adrias Cromwell.
'I will become stronger than Senior Adrias. And then, this time, I will...'
Clenching her fists, she secretly made a vow.
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The season had changed.
Before I knew it, the weather was sunny, and magic academy students passing by wore lighter clothes, shedding their heavy robes.
"Senior!"
A few days ago, Lucia, who had returned to the academy, approached me with a cheerful demeanor.
Lately, I felt like she was following me more often, but it couldn't be just a misunderstanding.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes!"
Lately, I had been spending more time with Lucia.
That was about exercising.
Despite her fragile condition, even after recovering from her illness, Lucia suggested exercising together.
'A considerate thought.'
It seemed like she was breaking out of her laziness. I was pleased to see that.
Judging by talent alone, Lucia might be among the top mages at the academy. And if she became diligent, there was nothing more to ask for.
Exercise was nothing extraordinary.
Due to her weak baseline physical fitness, Lucia mainly did basic aerobic and light anaerobic exercises. She couldn't do them for long, so her main role was to watch me exercise.
As usual, we quickly finished the workout, and while Lucia was observing me, she suddenly started a conversation.
"Senior, summer vacation is coming up."
"Hmm."
"Do you have any plans? Is it something that will take a long time?"
"Yeah, it might take a while. I have to go somewhere quite far."
Summer vacation was an excellent time to enhance your skills.
During the semester, there were lectures, but I also had private lessons with Berial, so I couldn't be away for long. However, during summer vacation, there was no issue. So, I had planned to take this opportunity to go on a journey.
'To prepare for the things that will happen in the future, I need to enhance my abilities.'
Originally, I would have had to team up with other Playables and face the challenges together, but as a Dark Mage, I had certain restrictions. Plus, I preferred to take on things on my own. So, I was thinking about my schedule in a way that I could handle everything myself.
'First, I need to prepare for the episode that Charon will trigger.'
Charon's episode, which was originally supposed to end with my death.
However, due to the altered future, I had no role to play, and I doubted whether Charon would even trigger this episode.
The current situation was quite different from what I knew.
'It doesn't hurt to be prepared.'
Even if Charon didn't cause any issues, it didn't matter.
Ultimately, what was important was for me to become stronger.
"Where are you planning to go?"
"To the Kingdom of Grandis."
The Kingdom of Grandis was located at the western end.
Beside it was the Great Forest of Vayatra.
It was an endless expanse of primeval forest, a land that didn't tolerate human footsteps, filled with various eerie mana anomalies, monsters, and poisonous insects.
A place where the Dragon's Tomb was located.
"The Kingdom of Grandis? Going that far?"
"Yeah, I have things to take care of."
"Hmm. Um, Senior."
"Why?"
"If by any chance, after you're done with everything, could you come visit our territory?"
Lucia looked at the ground and fidgeted nervously.
Her action was oddly cute, and while I had the urge to tease her, I just nodded.
"Sure. If I contact you beforehand and have the time, I'll come."
"Really? I'll tell Father!"
"Yeah, I'll definitely go."
Seeing Lucia's bright smile when I agreed, I could tell that I had gained some favor. Well, it was hard not to. The efforts I put in to save Lucia were no ordinary matter.
'If it weren't for me, she would have really died.'
I wondered if maybe I had come to this world with such incidents in mind. If another character had become Adrias, could they have saved Lucia?
'If things work out, I should also make sure to visit the Hidden Peace in the Hollington Territory.'
Of course, finding the Dragon's Tomb wasn't going to be easy.
But it didn't seem impossible.
With Shadow Banshee Mirenea, I could probably find it quickly.
'Before I go, I should pay Amy a visit once in a while.'
