"I don't know... "
That was all the adult woman with midnight black hair and deep brown eyes said. She wore a flowing white robe embedded with intricate red patterns, and her face remained stern and expressionless as her gaze drifted over Leo, Valra, and Pride. [Imgincmt]
The three of them stood quietly inside an old, decrepit church. The air was heavy with dust, the scent of age and abandonment thick in every breath. Tables were scattered around, layered in grime, as though no one had stepped foot in this place for decades. At the far end, there wasn't even an altar.
Just cracked stone and silence.
Leo squinted, confused.
Was this even a church?
He had never really cared much about gods or religion, but even he had heard that holy places usually had some statue of deities, maybe candles or relics. Something that gave off a sense of reverence. But this place... this place felt hollow.
Anyway,
Valra and Leo blinked in sync.
Valra's cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment, she thought this person would have answer yet....
She leaned forward and addressed the woman.
"Ms. Jing," she said, her voice laced with urgency and mild disbelief, "you're the one overseeing this... The Arcanum Eidolon War. You're supposed to monitor everything related to it. So how can you not know what's happening? He just summoned a Pride after the Blood Grail Moon... That shouldn't even be possible, right?"
Jing didn't flinch. She just stared at Valra, expression unreadable, then shifted her eyes to Leo and Pride.
"I don't know," she repeated, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Valra groaned under her breath and rubbed her forehead in frustration. "At least notify the Mages Association. They should investigate this anomaly or... whatever this is."
Jing gave a small nod. "I'll inform the Association," she said calmly. "But they won't intervene unless he breaks the rules."
Valra exhaled sharply, staring at Jing with growing irritation. "Fine... Just register him and start the damn game already," she muttered, her voice weary.
Leo tilted his head slightly toward her and leaned in, his brows furrowed. "What association? What rules are you talking about?"
Valra's eyes widened as he moved closer. Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly took a step back, trying to compose herself. Then she cleared her throat and attempted to speak with confidence, "Well, the Mages Association—" but before she could go on,
Jing stepped forward, cutting her off.
"The Mages Association," Jing said with a calm, measured tone, "is like an enforcement agency... They're the ones who keep mages like us in check."
Valra's lips twitched, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, but she said nothing and allowed Jing to explain.
After all, it's her duty.
"Mages are not permitted to reveal their powers to civilians," Jing continued. "Especially during the Arcanum Eidolon War. And they are strictly forbidden from engaging in combat in front of innocent people."
Leo gave a thoughtful hum and nodded slowly. "I see... So if a mage uses their powers where people can see, those officers—or the Association—come and arrest them, right?"
But then, a sudden stillness swept over the hall. The conversation halted. Even Pride, who had been silent until now, remained perfectly still, sensing something shift in the atmosphere.
"...What?" Leo asked, glancing around.
Jing looked at him and calmly said, "Because mages are rare and valuable—especially during a time like the Arcanum Eidolon War—we can't afford to lose them. If a large number of civilians witness a display of magic, we usually resort to memory removal. But if it's only one or two people..."
She paused, her voice steady and cold.
"We eliminate them."
Leo blinked slowly. "Eliminate, as in..." He made a gesture, tracing his fingers across his neck as if pulling a noose tight. "Like... that?"
"Yes," Jing confirmed without hesitation.
Leo stared at her, stunned. "T-That's seriously messed up! You could just wipe their memories, like you said. Why kill innocent people just to cover up your own mistakes?!"
His voice rose with unexpected emotion, something inside him twisting with discomfort. Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
"Wait... Greed said something earlier. He mentioned I saw something I shouldn't have..." Leo's voice trailed off as the pieces clicked together. His eyes widened. "Don't tell me I saw him doing magic?"
Valra turned her head away as sweat formed on her forehead.
Jing didn't even blink. "Those are the rules, Mr. Leo. And using memory-altering tools isn't easy. It takes a lot of resources and time. It's not always an option."
Leo stared at her, his face blank. "So you just choose the easy way out and kill someone instead?" he asked, his voice low and deadpan. "Makes perfect sense."
None of it made sense to him. Not even close.... and he was still calm?
Jing shrugged lightly, unaffected. "Anyway, shall we proceed with your registration?"
Leo let out a defeated sigh and gave a weak nod.
"But before that... could you remove your shirt?" Jing asked suddenly, her tone as indifferent as ever.
Leo blinked, surprised. His hand moved instinctively to his chest. "What?"
"I need to check something," she said again, her voice neutral. But Leo noticed it—there was a glimmer of curiosity in her otherwise calm expression.
He looked over at Valra. She gave a hesitant nod and motioned for him to go on.
Leo took a deep breath, then slowly unbuttoned his black coat and peeled off his blood-stained, torn white shirt. The cold air hit his skin, and for a moment, he felt exposed.
Valra immediately turned away, her face turning red, her gaze fixed stubbornly to the side. Pride, on the other hand, continued to stare at Leo with an unreadable, serious expression.
Jing stepped closer, her dark eyes scanning Leo's bare chest. Her hands moved forward, cool fingers pressing lightly against his skin.
"Hmm..." she murmured, then stepped around behind him. "Turn around."
Leo did as she asked, facing away.
She placed her palm gently on his back, then closed her eyes, her face growing a touch more focused, as if she was sensing something beyond the surface.
Leo flinched slightly as he felt a tingling sensation crawl across his back. It was faint, like static dancing over his skin.
"What are you doing?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder in confusion.
Pride, who had been silently observing, spoke in a calm, composed tone. "She's checking for your Mana Circuit."
"Mana Circuit?" Leo tilted his head, puzzled.
Pride gave a slow nod, her expression as serene as ever. She raised her hand, and green smoke began to waft gently from her palm. "This world is filled with nothing but Mana... a living energy that flows through and shapes everything. It's the lifeblood of nature, of people, of magic itself."
She paused, then added, "Mana Circuits are the foundation of all living beings born in this world. Whether you're a mage or a regular person, everyone is born with them. It's how we connect to Mana, how it flows through us."
Leo nodded slowly, trying to process it all. 'This is getting way too complicated... Mana... I've never even heard of something like that before,' he thought, his brows furrowing in a thoughtful expression.
Suddenly, Jing muttered under her breath. "I-Impossible..."
Her voice trembled slightly, and for the first time, the expression on her face cracked. The calm, emotionless exterior she had worn like a mask for years was replaced by genuine shock. Her eyes stared at her own hand, which was now clenching and unclenching slowly.
Valra, still looking away to give Leo some modesty, asked, "What happened?"
Jing's voice came out in a low whisper, almost as if she couldn't believe her own words. "He... he doesn't have a Mana Circuit in his body."
"...Say what?!" Valra whirled around in disbelief. The sight of Leo still half-naked instantly made her face flush deep red. She spun back around and shouted in flustered panic, "W-Wear your shirt already!"
Leo blinked, more amused than anything. 'What is she, never seen a body before?' he mused, smirking as he slipped his torn and bloodstained shirt back on.
Pride blinked slowly, her usual calm expression replaced by mild surprise. "That explains it..." she murmured. "That's why I couldn't access my full potential... I've been restrained all this time and didn't even know why."
Valra turned again, now composed, her tone serious. "Are you absolutely sure? Even if we put the Blood Grail Moon aside, summoning a Champion without even a trace of Mana... That's supposed to be impossible!"
Jing nodded, her voice returning to its neutral tone. "I've double-checked. He has no Mana Circuits. I'll have to report this to the Mage Association immediately. This discovery is unprecedented."
"W-Wait!" Leo's voice cracked slightly, panic beginning to creep in. "Are they going to arrest me or something?!"
Jing met his gaze and calmly replied, "This is the first phenomenon of its kind in the history of Mages. Summoning a Champion after the Blood Grail... and without any Mana... It's beyond extraordinary. It's unheard of."
Leo bit his lip nervously. "H-How about we tell them after the war is over? I mean, if they arrest me now... wouldn't that mess up everything? They'd have to pause the war, reassign Mages, reorganise everything, right? That would cause all kinds of chaos."
Jing tilted her head slightly, thinking it through. "Technically, you haven't broken any rules. So I'm under no obligation to report you right now," she said, then glanced toward Valra, "Unless one of the major Mage Households forces my hand."
Leo immediately turned to Valra, his eyes wide with pleading. "Please don't! I seriously don't want to end up as some lab rat or science project!"
Valra stared at him quietly, a thoughtful look in her eyes. After a pause, she let out a soft sigh. "Fine... I won't say anything."
Leo exhaled in relief and wiped his forehead dramatically. "Thank you..." he whispered.
Jing looked at him again and motioned with her hand. "Shall we continue?"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble slightly. Everyone instinctively stepped back. The dust-covered tiles cracked and shifted as a circular stone slab slowly rose from beneath the floor, floating in the air before them.
Leo's eyes widened in amazement. He couldn't help but marvel at the display of magic.
'This is... magic... ah' he thought.
"For someone new to all this, you're surprisingly calm," Jing said, casting him a side glance with a note of genuine curiosity.
"Thank you..." Leo muttered. But in truth, only he knew the storm raging inside him.
His heart was pounding like a drum, his breath shallow, and his mind on the verge of spinning out. He felt like screaming, running, hiding—anything.
But he kept it all in.
The only thing keeping him from collapsing into panic was...
One billion.
Yeah, one billion. He never believed he'd ever see that kind of money. Hell, he never even believed it was real. So, compared to that surreal number, all of this—the Mana, the summoning, the floating stones—almost felt... less insane.
...Or maybe, somewhere deep inside, he was still clinging to the hope that this was all just some wild dream he'd eventually wake up from.
"Now..." Jing said, her tone taking on a ritual-like finality, "Place your hand on the Sin Stone."
She gestured toward the floating stone tablet as it pulsed softly with a faint red glow.
Leo took a deep breath and stepped forward.