CBOM 24

chapter 24

There was no room for excuses here, and even if she made one, nothing would change. So Grace simply kept her lips tightly shut.

In the end, this was something that would help Livanu, so there was no need to feel endlessly guilty about it.

She rationalized that much and nodded when Livanu muttered:

“But I wonder if swordsmanship or magic can really be self-taught…”

“Ah, that…”

The truth was, Grace had once tried it—driven by the desire for revenge against Grino.

She thought that if she became a mage like him, and grew stronger, maybe something would change.

But despite her determination, Grace had absolutely no talent. She had only ended up as a flunky under an evil mage, until she ran away.

Her tiny sliver of hope in magic had been completely shattered. Still, she thought learning swordsmanship wouldn’t hurt.

Of course, Grace turned out to be horrendously untalented in swordsmanship as well.

Even with talent, reaching the heights of swordsmanship as a woman’s body required back-breaking effort. Without talent, it was impossible. Grace dropped out after a year.

She had poured money into it until she quit, and when she did, her mercenary teacher cursed her:

“So you finally gave up. In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone with less talent than you. Even a passing ant would have more talent than you. Sure, your monstrous strength and stamina are impressive, but beyond that? Worthless.”

Even now, the memory made her bristle—but the worst part was that it was true, so she couldn’t even argue back.

And yet he had pocketed every coin she paid him.

Anyway, after that, Grace learned her place and contented herself with living quietly as a maid.

She never once turned her head toward magic or swordsmanship again.

“I can teach you,” she said.

In other words, while she had no talent herself, she could at least teach the basics.

She had endured one year under a vile mage and another under a foul-tempered mercenary—so she knew her theory inside and out.

Grace had learned the hard way why magic and swordsmanship were called fields reserved for the “gifted.” She understood all too well the importance of the core—a vessel formed within the body to store mana.

Simply being able to form a core already meant one had talent.

The time it took to form it varied greatly, but the most important thing was its size.

Grace had neither talent nor a decent vessel.

She still remembered the despair of having a core the size of a soy-sauce dish.

No matter how hard she tried, the mana she could gather was pitiful. It might as well not have existed.

“You, Grace?” Livanu’s eyes widened at her unexpected offer.

“Yes. I once learned how to handle a core and mana.”

“…When? Weren’t you always a maid?”

It had been in her “second round,” a lifetime ago.

But she had thrown herself into it so desperately that her body still remembered how to manipulate a core.

Every time she regressed, she instinctively gathered mana as easily as breathing. But the only result was that she was a little healthier and stronger than most—never enough to truly accumulate mana.

It would scatter as quickly as it gathered.

That was just how talentless she was.

Becoming a swordsman was technically easier than a mage, but even then, without proper core control, success was nearly impossible.

“I learned it a long time ago,” she said.

“…Then why are you working as a maid?”

It hurt to say it out loud, but she couldn’t avoid answering.

“Because I have no talent…”

“…Ah.”

“That’s not the point. While I was learning, I heard of a disease called Infinito Danio.”

“Infinito Danio?”

Grace began laying her groundwork.

Livanu, diligent as always, looked genuinely curious.

After all, he was a young master who loved studying and reading, so hearing an unfamiliar term made his eyes light up.

“Yes. They say it’s an illness caused by being born with too much innate mana.”

“There’s really such a disease?”

“Yes. With every breath, mana builds up in the body. But if there’s no core to contain it, the excess overwhelms the body, and it can’t withstand it. It’s so rare—appearing maybe once every few hundred years—that little is known about it. But from what I heard, once a core is formed and mana can be controlled directly, the illness goes away. And… I thought your symptoms might be similar. So, if I teach you how to handle a core, maybe it would help.”

Grace explained all in one breath.

Livanu’s pupils trembled at her rapid-fire words, but he seemed to follow perfectly.

“S-similar?”

“I just suddenly remembered. Of course, the symptoms aren’t always the same. But they said the disease manifests when mana accumulates in the body and becomes an illness that shows on the surface. I thought maybe in your case, it’s appearing as a skin condition. And learning can’t hurt, right?”

“So you’re saying my skin disease might get cured?”

“Well… that’s what I think.”

She felt certain, but she didn’t offer certainty.

Still, just that was enough to make Livanu’s whole body twitch with hope.

“H-how do I d-do it?”

“First, the core—”

“T-teach me. I’ll do everything. Everything.”

Like an excited puppy, Livanu fidgeted restlessly—then suddenly froze.

“…No. I want to learn slowly.”

“What’s wrong?”

He had seemed desperate to start right away, but now his excitement fizzled like flat beer.

“I’m afraid… what if nothing changes even after forming a core?”

“That could happen.”

“…Yeah, I thought so. Then I won’t expect too much.”

Grace smiled faintly inside but humored him.

“Yes. Take it slowly. Forming a core isn’t easy anyway.”

“Really? Then I have even less hope…”

Livanu’s voice drooped. Grace reassured him—at least hear the explanation before getting disappointed.

He nodded.

Grace herself, talentless as she was, had taken six whole months to form her core. For most ordinary people, it took about a month.

But Livanu had Infinito Danio. Maybe it would be faster for him.

“First, sit comfortably,” Grace said, demonstrating as she sat.

Livanu glanced at her and mimicked the posture.

The posture wasn’t important—it was just to help him relax and sense mana more easily.

Grace had no real expectation that he’d feel mana right away, not even with his condition. Eventually, he’d find his own way.

“Mana is like an invisible energy floating in the air. If you focus, you’ll feel warmth in your body. But this is never eas—”

Before she finished, Livanu spoke:

“Oh? I feel it.”

“What?”

“My body feels warm. Kind of nice.”

“…You mean you got it instantly?”

Grace’s eyes flew open in disbelief.

Livanu blinked innocently. “Hm? What’s wrong?”

She had bled sweat and tears for six months to do this—and he just…

She was too stunned to speak.

And then Livanu said:

“So this is the core? It feels like something formed in my lower abdomen.”

Grace’s jaw simply dropped.

She had only told him to relax and feel the mana—and he had formed a core.

“Grace? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Ugh. One of those disgustingly talented prodigies.

She had never seen anyone form a core so quickly.

It was shocking, but then again, with a condition as rare as Infinito Danio, maybe it wasn’t surprising.

“Young master, you’re a genius.”

If her old mercenary teacher had seen this, he would have begged Livanu to become his disciple.

In fact, anyone would have coveted him. Or maybe they would have been too intimidated to even take him as a student.

Even Grino Eggpara, the famed viscount mage respected by all, had taken three days to form his core.

But this? “Genius” wasn’t even enough to describe it.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Livanu said casually, as if it were nothing more than a common phrase.