kscans

Chapter 120 - The Mana That Connects Life

Let's go back in time a little.

Darius teleported to Adrian's townhouse, cradling an Ariel who seemed on the verge of death.

The location was the Royal Castle. It seemed Adrian had already made preparations, as his wife, butler, and even the Court Physician were on standby.

"Please. She’s had a large amount of blood drawn, and she’s been subjected to violence. She’s breathing, but she’s unconscious," Darius cried out.

The Court Physician immediately applied a Mana Measuring Device, his expression grim.

"…Her mana circulation is in tatters. Her mana levels are also low. She's unstable. She won’t be able to maintain her breathing or consciousness like this."

"Isn't there anything you can do!?"

"First, we need to circulate mana through her body. …Can you find a donor?"

In this country, just as countries with advanced science like the major powers had blood supplies, supplying mana from blood was a common method of treatment.

The butler and the Court Physician’s gazes turned to Darius.

"Can’t I do it? I have more than enough mana. I’ll give her as much as I can until I collapse!"

While a message was sent to Adrian, a blood and mana compatibility test began. In the meantime, more and more tubes were connected to Ariel’s body. An oxygen tube, a nutrient tube, a catheter…

Each time another needle pierced her slender arm, his heart felt like it was being gouged out.

"…Ariel. It’s okay now," he said, squeezing her hand and desperately calling out to her. He felt pathetic, able to do nothing but stay by her side.

Eventually, Adrian’s butler brought in a Mana Supply Device. It was an expensive machine that most noble houses kept for children who needed mana supplies or had problems with an excess of it. Adrian also had children, so it was likely for them.

Compatibility was not an issue. Darius’s mana flowed into Ariel through her blood.

My mana is inside her. That thought alone seemed to fill his heart with a strange sense of satisfaction.

But the supply was limited to just thirty minutes.

"…This is all…" The amount that could be drawn was regulated. This meant that Ariel had been having more than that amount drained from her continuously for nearly a month.

"I don’t care if it’s impossible! Give her more of my mana!" Darius pleaded desperately, but the Court Physician stopped him with a shake of his head. It took time for blood to generate mana. No matter how large one's mana capacity was, it couldn't be done all at once.

Eventually, Adrian returned. He was speechless at Ariel’s transformed appearance.

"This is… what has happened. …Hey, can’t you do something?" Seeing the despair in Adrian and Darius’s faces, Adrian's wife rubbed his back.

Her condition was so terrible that everyone held their breath.

There was no trace of the Ariel they once knew. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was a beloved existence.

Darius pleaded with Adrian.

"…Just the mana supply. Please ask my father. Just until she regains consciousness. I swear I will have no contact with her."

In the end, permission was granted for Darius and his older brother to supply her mana alternately. There was one condition. Ariel must never be allowed to know who she received the mana from. It would create a scandal if it became known that the blood of the king's sons was given to a commoner girl. But the king couldn't let her die either.

"I don't mind." There was no hesitation.

And so, Darius, along with his brother, began to pour his mana into Ariel to keep her life connected to this world.