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Chapter 12
“The Little Daughter-in-law Runs Everything!
The operation was named: “Honestly, I don’t even know how I’ve been doing this since I was born.”
Angela looked blank for a moment.
“…A genius?”
That’s kind of embarrassing.
I cleared my throat and asked her back.
“Unnie, what would you say if I asked you how you breathe?”
“Breathing? Well, living beings like humans obtain oxygen through respiration…”
“No, no, not that. That’s why we breathe. I mean how you breathe.”
“Well… I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t even know how to explain it…”
“That’s exactly how I feel!”
“…?”
“I’ve never once thought about how I handle mana. But if you ask me how I do it, I can only say I’ve just always lived like this.”
“Ah.”
Angela nodded. She didn’t look completely convinced, but she seemed to roughly understand.
Now that Angela has already found out, it’s hard to hide the fact that I can use magic.
While I stayed at the Windritche mansion, Angela would keep coming to see me.
Like I said, mages were obsessively persistent when it came to research.
She might even try to teach me magic herself.
Acting like I was learning magic step by step from the basics would be impossible—both in skill and time.
So instead, I’ll just act like a genius who understands ten things from being taught one.
It’s a bit embarrassing though.
I rubbed my burning cheeks and avoided the stares of the three people looking at me.
“Is that reasonable?”
Riccardo uncle, who had been quietly listening, spoke.
“It’s my first time seeing something like this, but theoretically it doesn’t seem impossible. And honestly, judging by the situation, it doesn’t look like she learned mana control in a structured way.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Actually, to properly contain mana, you need at least a mana core. Once you form a mana core, you can control mana even without consciousness.”
“….”
“But when the little lady lost consciousness, she couldn’t control her mana. That means she doesn’t have a mana core yet. Do you understand?”
“So you’re saying she couldn’t control it because she has no mana core. But what does that have to do with her perfectly hiding mana in daily life? Isn’t it possible to learn how to hide mana even without a core?”
Angela sighed as if she was frustrated. She didn’t say it out loud, but her expression clearly said, I don’t want to talk about this kind of thing with sword fighters.
“The mana core is the foundation of all magic. What kind of person teaches a child who hasn’t even formed a mana core how to control mana? It’s extremely dangerous for the body!”
“Is that so?”
“If such a reckless person is registered in the Mage Association, they should be expelled! It’s like teaching someone who’s never even held a wooden sword how to shoot sword aura!”
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
Riccardo uncle nodded as if he understood. Meanwhile, I gave an awkward laugh while looking at Angela, who was clearly angry.
That reckless person is right here.
Why didn’t I ever think about making a mana core?
But forming a mana core was extremely delicate and time-consuming.
In a situation where every second mattered, I didn’t have the luxury for that.
And I also needed an excuse in case something like this happened again.
Right now, Angela already firmly believed I knew nothing about magic simply because I didn’t have a mana core.
But it is a bit strange. For someone without a mana core, there was surprisingly little strain on my body.
It had been about a month and a half since I turned ten. If my body was going to collapse from overuse, it should’ve happened earlier.
After my regression, I used magic constantly while looking for my father.
If anything was going to go wrong, it should have happened then. Compared to that time, I wasn’t even pushing myself much now.
Come to think of it, when Angela first found me in the past, didn’t she examine my mana directly…?
When I first met her at Count Cornel’s estate, Angela had briefly held my hand, saying she was glad to meet me.
I didn’t know it then, but she had assessed my internal mana through that contact.
At that time, I hadn’t controlled my mana at all, so she must have recognized my talent immediately—then why did she still confirm it like that?
As if I was already controlling mana back then…
My thoughts, tangled like a knot, were cut off by Angela’s voice.
“Hm. This is interesting. If the little lady can actually control mana, the story changes a bit, Duke.”
“What changes? As I’ve said before, you should get to the point clearly.”
“Oh my, I’ll explain in due time. Duke, you really are quite impatient, aren’t you?”
“….”
“And don’t make such a stiff face in front of the young lady. Oh dear, how scary.”
Angela smiled lightly, not looking scared at all.
Taking advantage of the slightly relaxed atmosphere, I cautiously spoke up.
“I’m Iris.”
The word “little lady” felt oddly embarrassing compared to “kid.”
Luckily, Angela understood immediately.
“Yes, Lady Iris.”
“I think just Iris is fine. Not that it matters much right now though.”
“So, what exactly changes, Knight Polina?”
Riccardo uncle, who had been listening to our light conversation, cut in urgently. Angela shrugged.
“The Duchess.”
“Duchess Diana said she feels better after talking with Iris, right? The Duke and the doctor simply thought it was just her mood.”
“That’s right. When you feel good, your body often feels better too.”
“That’s true. But we may need to look at this differently. Iris might actually have been healing her. With mana.”
Riccardo uncle swallowed dryly.
Seeing him fall silent, Killian spoke up with a tense voice.
“So my mother’s illness isn’t just a normal disease?”
“I can’t be certain yet, but yes. It’s possible that the flow of mana inside her body has become disturbed.”
Angela’s playful expression disappeared and turned serious.
“People who don’t understand magic think only mages have internal mana. But that’s not true. Mana is the fundamental force of all living beings. Even something as insignificant as weeds has mana.”
“….”
“If that flow becomes misaligned, the body slowly begins to collapse. Like a flower withering.”
“Then why didn’t you notice it until now? Didn’t you examine Diana yourself?”
“Internal mana is usually fine unless it’s forcibly disturbed. Cases where it causes problems are extremely rare.”
Angela, while speaking, glanced at Riccardo uncle’s expression.
“Of course, it is my mistake for not considering even rare cases. I will accept disciplinary action for that later. Right now, the Duchess is the priority.”
“Good. We will discuss that after everything is resolved. So what now? Can you find a way to fully cure Diana?”
“Yes. Probably.”
Hopeful gazes from the uncle and Killian turned toward Angela.
“As I said, internal mana is disturbed by external factors. Someone could directly interfere with the flow, but objects can also produce similar effects.”
“….”
“Using objects is weaker than direct interference and takes longer, but it’s harder to detect. So, was there anything newly brought into the Duchess’s possession around the time she started getting sick?”
