ENGDB 17

Chapter 17

At Calid’s words, Irene jumped back in shock.

‘You want me to accept mana? I can’t do that! No, can people even accept someone else’s mana in the first place?’

“Normally, they cannot.”

‘Wait a second! Then why are you telling me to do it?!’

Irene felt dumbfounded. Other people could not even do it, yet he wanted this weak little ghost to try.

Did he think she was some easy ghost to handle…?

She decided she had to show Calid that she was not such a simple ghost.

“There is something I want to confirm. You said you would help me, didn’t you? Nothing dangerous will happen to you, Whitey.”

‘I did say I would help, but… I didn’t know it would be something like this.’

Even if she was still treated like a talking blob for now, Irene treasured this ghost life.

What if something went wrong?

She hesitated while carefully watching Calid’s expression.

But seeing the firm look in his eyes, he clearly had no intention of backing down.

‘I’m not some experiment ghost….’

“Hmm… then how about this? I’ll gather mana above my hand, and you can slowly try accepting it.”

‘That’s basically the same thing. I’d still be accepting mana either way.’

Calid became flustered by how strongly Whitey rejected the idea.

At the same time, he also thought it was natural for Whitey to feel afraid since she did not know she had already absorbed mana before.

Calid himself had personally seen Whitey absorbing his mana.

That was why he could even suggest something like this.

He decided he should at least ease some of Whitey’s fears.

“Whitey, there is something you do not know. You have already accepted my mana before.”

‘Huh? Me?’

Irene looked shocked at the unexpected story.

She stared at Calid with hopeful eyes, expecting him to explain further, but instead he simply held out his hand again without saying more.

“That’s right. So trust me and at least try it once.”

‘Tch, easy for you to say since you’re not the one doing it.’

“Do not worry. Trust me. It will never harm you, Whitey.”

Irene puffed out her lips unhappily, but seeing Calid’s unwavering expression made her trust him just a little.

‘…Fine. I’ll try it once. But if it looks dangerous, you have to stop immediately, okay?’

“Yes. Do not worry.”

In the end, Irene became an easy ghost after all.

With determined eyes, she focused all her senses on the mana swirling in a circle above Calid’s hand.

The more she concentrated, the clearer Calid’s mana became compared to before.

It somehow felt both cold and warm at the same time.

‘What is this? It sounds like some kind of hot iced Americano.’

Even Irene found her own thought ridiculous and let out a small laugh.

She poked and examined Calid’s wavering mana little by little.

But the mana did not move at all, as if it were a solid wall refusing to allow even the smallest opening.

Rather, it almost felt as though the mana itself possessed intelligence and was observing Irene.

They stared at each other like they were in a silent contest for several minutes.

Then finally, the wall-like mana slowly softened and began revealing tiny openings.

‘Now!’

Irene quickly shoved her hand into the gap.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, the golden mana surged upward through her hand and began spreading throughout her entire body.

‘W-Wait? Why is this….’

Startled by Calid’s mana wrapping around her body, Irene wildly shook her hand up and down as if trying to shake off dust.

But the spreading mana slowly began sinking into her.

Very naturally.

Feeling the warm energy spreading through her whole body, Irene looked at Calid with anxious eyes, unsure what to do.

Yet Calid calmly watched the situation as though he had expected this all along.

‘Calid….’

“It is alright. There is nothing to be anxious about. You are fine.”

‘But….’

Whitey trembled nervously.

To calm her down, Calid reached out his hand once more.

This time, without the slightest hesitation, she grabbed it tightly.

The texture felt completely different from before.

Still unaware of the changes happening to her, Whitey looked unsettled, so Calid comforted her in a low voice.

His voice sounded surprisingly gentle, making Irene feel slightly unfamiliar with him.

“It’s alright, Whitey. Calm down. Feel the mana. It will never hurt you.”

Calid continued softly patting Whitey’s hand to calm her.

Perhaps his efforts worked.

Little by little, Irene finally relaxed.

Only then could she properly face the shimmering golden mana.

The golden mana slowly sinking into Irene truly carried no intention of harming her at all, just as Calid had said.

It felt warm and comforting instead.

Almost as though it were welcoming her.

‘It’s warm.’

Finally letting go of all tension, Irene calmly accepted Calid’s mana.

And the more mana she accepted, the more fulfilled she felt.

At the same time, she could feel her body gradually changing.

It felt similar to when she inherited the necklace’s power before.

Her sharpened senses clearly felt the cool breeze entering through the open window, the texture of the rug brushing against her feet, and even the warmth of the hand she was holding.

Lost in the hazy sensation, Irene closed her eyes and focused entirely on the feelings flowing through her body.

Then—

‘Hm… huh?’

Naturally, Irene’s gaze slowly lowered toward herself.

And what entered her sight was—

‘Uh… my hand….’

She could see a small transparent hand holding Calid’s hand.

Irene’s eyes widened.

Thinking she must have seen it wrong, she blinked again and again.

But instead, the warmth between their joined hands only became even clearer.

“Calid…!”

A man dressed in magnificent red-and-gold royal robes sat upon a massive golden throne, listening to the chief attendant’s report with a worried expression.

“Your Majesty. As you ordered, everything has been handled.”

“Yes, he is my only younger brother. Naturally, only the finest and most precious things should be sent to him.”

“Yes. We prepared everything generously with only the highest quality items.”

“Good, good. The north is such a barren place, after all. It must lack many things. I do hope my brother likes them….”

“Of course. Grand Duke Calid will surely understand Your Majesty’s sincere feelings.”

Golden eyes like melted gold.

Brilliant golden hair to match.

And a youthful appearance that made it hard to believe he was already in his forties.

This was the Emperor of the Ecardia Empire, Dynon Bernhardt.

Only then did the Emperor smile slightly in relief.

That smiling face looked remarkably similar to Calid’s, making it obvious to anyone that they were brothers.

“Hohoho. Did you also tell him that I miss him? He barely stayed in the Imperial Palace for a few days before leaving for the north immediately after the banquet ended. I told him I was deeply disappointed.”

“Yes. I made sure the messenger delivered those exact words.”

“Well done. You have worked hard, Chief Attendant.”

“It was nothing, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave now.”

The Emperor watched the chief attendant disappear beyond the door while still showing traces of concern on his gentle face.

The moment the door quietly closed, the Emperor’s expression instantly turned cold and emotionless.

There was even faint irritation hidden within it.

Then, from behind the massive throne, a shadow-like man covered entirely in black robes appeared.

He immediately approached the Emperor and knelt deeply before him.

“Master, why are you giving that man so much time? You must not leave him alone for too long.”

“One should grant at least one desired request now and then. It is not a major problem. Rewards and punishments must be clear if you want someone to remain easy to control.”

“But….”

“That is enough. In any case, he will not be able to rest properly anyway…. You are monitoring him carefully to ensure he does not do anything foolish, correct?”

“Yes. But he must be summoned back quickly.”

“I already sent a messenger, so he will obediently return to the Imperial Palace. He is not an idiot, after all.”

The Emperor smiled darkly as he thought about his younger brother.

The only brother he had—

Who would spend his entire life suffering, unable to properly rest because of unstable mana.

‘At most… in his current state, he only has a few years left. Once everything I planned is completed during that time… I will finally obtain everything I desire.’

Thinking about the future he intended to create, the Emperor smiled in satisfaction.