“This is, um, a magic stone.”

He pointed to the blue-green gem on the handle and answered meekly.

Adelheit forgot her resolve not to be impressed by whatever he showed her and swallowed slightly. A magic stone was the heart of a magical beast.

Because it turns to smoke and ash if not extracted and refined at the exact moment of death, a magic stone this large was worth its weight in gold.

“It’s rare. If you keep carrying that…”

“Carrying a magic stone maximizes one’s innate holy power. I know. Especially one this blue and large is a high-quality magic stone.”

Adelheit looked at the magic stone with admiring eyes and quickly raised her head.

“But why are you giving this to me?”

“Why, you ask.”

“You may not know, but I have very little innate holy power. My healing skills are poor too. Even if I have this, it won’t be much different from a blade forged from metal for me. I don’t understand why you’re giving me this.”

“It’s different. Magic stones have the effect of filling one’s ‘vessel’.”

Valentin shook his head.

“What humans call ‘holy power’ is the power of Mo, rig. Conversely, what is called ‘magical power’ is… the power of magical beasts.”

It was as he said. Only magical beasts could wield magical power.

There were records that in ancient times, chosen humans could wield magical power and use it to cast terrifying magic.

However, the records were cut off, humans born with magical power disappeared, and it was widely believed that those histories were exaggerated as they were passed down to later generations.

“I can see. The power contained in Adelheit’s vessel is magical power. Since the vessel is already filled, there’s no room for Morig’s power to accumulate.”

Adelheit’s eyes widened at Valentin’s words. All humans possess holy power.

That was why the Reihenau Count’s family had considered her an unpleasant girl, and why she had raised futile hopes in the Count every year.

Because Adelheit had extremely little holy power.

“But I’m not completely devoid of holy power. If what you’re saying is true, there should be no room for holy power to accumulate, right?”

“You received baptism, didn’t you?”

“Please speak clearly. This is a very important matter for me.”

“I…”

“Please, Valentin.”

Valentin closed his mouth at the desperation on Adelheit’s face.

His face looked impassive, but judging by his slightly trembling fingertips, there seemed to be an intense inner conflict.

This time when he reached out with both hands, Adelheit didn’t shrink back. Rather, she actively approached his hands.

As his forehead touched hers, a massive energy surged into her mind.

[Baptism is the act of engraving a name.]

A powerful force swept over her like a torrent.

Her legs wobbled, and her lower back trembled violently.

Even though she thought she was fully prepared, it was difficult to stand upright.

Valentin gently brushed his upper lip as if guiding her to take deep breaths.

She blinked her sparse eyelashes slowly with tears. After carefully examining Adelheit’s complexion, he eventually continued speaking.

[Just because Morig engraved a name on the surface of the vessel, it doesn’t mean the power contained inside disappears. Nevertheless, since Morig’s power is present, holy power can be felt.]

“Are you saying that I was born with magical power from the beginning? Even though I’m human?”

[Humans can be born with magical power too. However, most humans are born with empty vessels. In that case, they choose which power to accept. Usually, they accept what’s familiar to them.]

“Familiar means…”

[Doesn’t Morig place newborns on his altar?]

Adelheit let out an exclamation as she realized something. The meaning of placing a newborn on the altar referred to the baptism ceremony.

In Denburg, there was a firm belief that if a child didn’t receive a priest’s blessing within two weeks of birth, a magical beast would steal the child’s soul.

The higher the nobility, the more grandly they celebrated the baptism ceremony, and commoners received the priest’s blessing even in an abbreviated form.

In that process, everyone was naturally exposed to Morig’s divinity, so it made sense that they would primarily accept holy power. Except for one thing.

“Why was my vessel filled from birth?”

[…]

“I heard that I received the blessing from the High Priest immediately after birth. I heard that a priest was at my bedside, so I don’t understand how I could have been exposed to magical power first.”

[…]

His selective silence made her angry. She looked at him reproachfully with large eyes.

“Silence is a cowardly choice.”

[…Choose another question. I’ll answer anything else.]

He seemed troubled as his expression clouded, but he didn’t relent.

Adelheit chewed on her lip and changed her question to something even more uncomfortable for him to answer.

“Fine. Why did you attack me last time?”

[I… don’t want to frighten you.]

Through the mental connection, Valentin’s gloomy and anxious emotions were transmitted unfiltered.

Adelheit wanted to shout that she wouldn’t be afraid no matter what he said, but she wasn’t certain that her attitude towards him wouldn’t change after learning all the truths in detail.

Hadn’t she felt a fear of imminent death just from Valentin grabbing her neck? If the truth behind that series of events was beyond what she could handle, it would be foolish to insist on hearing the truth blindly.

Valentin seemed to have guessed everything from her expression.

He continued speaking with a bitter face.

[You’re not ready yet. It’s better not to know for now.]

“…Will you tell me someday? If I become ‘ready’?”

[Yes. Someday.]

If he went this far, she couldn’t insist any further.

[Is that alright?]

At his urging, Adelheit barely managed to nod. Valentin smiled faintly as if relieved and lightly brushed Adelheit’s cheek with his thumb. He let her go, seeming very reluctant.

Then he covered the back of Adelheit’s hand, which was loosely holding the sword, with his palm. He gripped it tightly.

“Still, don’t doubt this. I won’t harm you.”

She still couldn’t understand Valentin’s inner thoughts, and there were more than a few suspicious things.

But she decided to believe in the desperation she had felt from Valentin when the ‘ritual’ had surged in.

She gently pulled at her hand that was held by him, trying to change the subject.

“Then is it enough for me to just keep this sword? Since you said my vessel is already full, I wonder if the magic stone’s effect of amplifying energy won’t have much effect on me…”

“First, we need to practice infusing magical power.”

“Infusing magical power? Into the magic stone? But… how?”

Valentin smiled faintly at the flood of questions. He let go of her hand and said,

“Hold it again. With the magic stone facing up.”

Adelheit did as he said.

“Now feel the magical power flowing through your heart and blood vessels. Feel the energy gathered in one place, circulating throughout your body.”

“E-energy?”

“Something warm, something alive. Something that wriggles.”

She quietly concentrated, trying to feel the energy he described.

But her inner self felt empty, as if nothing could be felt. Could he have been mistaken?

She closed her eyes tightly and took a long, deep breath. But no matter how many times she tried, nothing changed.

Adelheit tried to concentrate, but the more she did, the more she was reminded of her past self struggling to feel holy power in the Reihenau Count’s mansion.

“…I don’t understand.”

She opened her eyes again and muttered dejectedly.

As she was about to gently place the dagger on the table, Valentin grabbed her hand to stop her.

Valentin quickly bit the fingertips of his glove to remove it, then swiftly placed his fingers on the back of her hand.

At that moment, Adelheit felt an excruciating pain.

She thought a stream of hot water or lava had touched the back of her hand.

She thought she had suffered a terrible burn, with her skin blistering and peeling off. She tried to push him away while screaming.

But her lips were stuck together as if glued, and she couldn’t make any sound.

Valentin held her tightly as she struggled and trembled.

“Shh, Adelheit. Focus on me.”

“Ah, ugh…”

He persistently maintained eye contact with Adelheit.

Yet he still didn’t remove his hand from the back of hers. It was strange.

At some point, she couldn’t feel any pain from the back of her hand where he was holding.

The energy that had surged in roughly like lava had somehow become gentle and refreshing.

Like soup warming her insides, it boosted her energy and flowed ticklishly through her blood vessels, as if awakening her whole body.

Adelheit tried to concentrate as he said.

Gradually, she felt a clear energy rising from below her navel.

It was like a giant who had been curled up was finally stretching. That’s when it happened.

“Ah…!”

An intense blue light burst forth from the magic stone embedded in the dagger.

The bright light, so dazzling it was almost blinding, filled every corner of the room and even overflowed through the window and door cracks.

She was gradually overwhelmed by this tremendous power.

Holy power was white, the symbol of Morig, and healing magic was close to green.

Therefore, this energy, as deep blue as the night sky, with golden stars seemingly scattered within, was undeniably magical power.

But to think it was this warm.

To think that the energy used by magical beasts, far from feeling wicked, could be this beautiful…