064 – Human Experimentation

Holding Isabella, who was handed to me by Ella.

Escorted by the Knights, I headed towards the Imperial Palace in the Elroyse family’s carriage.

After解除（kaijo: release) the silence magic placed on Ella and Your Majesty, I gazed at Princess Asher, weeping in Your Majesty’s arms, and mused.

‘Perhaps it’s time to lift the silence?’

The Heart Reaper that had been gnawing at Princess Asher’s aether was now sealed within my own heart.

I wondered if it was alright to remove the silence spell that clung to the princess’s form.

‘How will she feel?’

To tell a child, who had suffered every hardship at such a young age, that aether was no longer something to fear.

‘What was it like for me…’

When I first arrived in this world and felt aether, it was a completely new world.

Like a sixth sense suddenly awakening.

An energy that was used so naturally, as if it had aided me my entire life.

I certainly hoped Asher would be happy, too.

“Papa…”

Once the sniffling Asher had calmed down a bit, I decided to subtly lift the silence spell.

…

His Majesty had descended into the dungeons to inspect them.

“Is Papa alright?”

“Papa’s fine, Asher.”

“…”

“Our Asher is worried about Papa?”

“Yes…”

“The strange man punished all the bad people, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Yes…”

Remaining by Asher’s side, who still looked a little gloomy.

“Silence, dismissed.”

“…”

I released the silence skill that bound her.

“Asher.”

“Yes?”

“Do you feel anything different?”

Ready to immediately cast the silence spell again, if Asher seemed even slightly unwell.

I slowly began to observe her state…

“What should be different? …Oh? This…this…”

“That is aether.”

“Wow!”

Fortunately, Princess Asher, who had begun to feel aether, beamed with a bright smile…

Whoosh.

“?”

“Fire!”

“???”

“Wow!”

“?????”

He began to coax a tiny spark into existence on his palm.

“Mihan, I’ve come… Your Highness?”

“Sister! Fire came out of my hand! Mister made it happen!”

“…Mihan?”

He had, in a sense.

He’d merely allowed the ether bound within her to flow once more…

But it seemed our esteemed Princess possessed an exceptional aptitude for magic.

No sooner had she regained normal ether usage than she manifested magic outright.

Of course.

“…So, you’re now even enabling the use of magic?”

“…Would you believe me if I said no?”

“No?”

“…”

To any other witness of this scene, I was…

Simply an astounding individual capable of granting magical abilities.

“Excuse me…”

“…Yes?”

“I am Arven Teo, Vice-Captain of the Fifth Order of Knights.”

“Ah… uh, hello?”

“By His Majesty’s command, I’m observing Mihan. And I happened to witness the moment you enabled Her Highness to wield magic.”

“Well, this is, uh…”

“Mister did it!”

“Therefore, I too… must beseech you. Whatever value you demand, I am willing to pay. Can you… enable me to use magic as well?”

“Uh… uh-oh…”

…

The rumors began to spread in an instant.

A hero, having captured a being comparable to a vampire lord… was granting the ability to use magic.

“So, you had such a skill, did you?”

“A coincidence.”

“No! Mister did it, Papa!”

“So it seems?

“…Truly just a coincidence.”

“Mister does everything! Look!”

*Whoosh-* *Whoosh-*

Princess Asher conjured a burning sparrow in her fingertips, extending her hand toward His Majesty, eager to show off her creation.

To think that, aside from Lillian Isolde, there existed another with such formidable magical talent.

In this world, was the prerequisite for immense magical power being a young, unmarried woman?

‘But then again, there’s the Master of the Magic Tower.’

No matter what I said, neither His Majesty nor the knights of the Order, who regarded me with such expectation-filled eyes, would believe my words.

After all…

“Mister, you’re the best! I want to make a puppy too!”

*Whoosh-*

“Wow! It worked! Thank you!”

‘But I didn’t do anything…?’

All thanks to our Princess Asher, who kept fanning the wind.

She was going around telling everyone and their mother, “The Mister let me use magic!”

And just like that, I’d become some kind of hero bestowing miracles upon those without magical talent.

“Is there anything that rings a bell?”

I do know a little about the principles behind how magic can be used.

Back when Lillian Isolde told me, it requires another core to circulate aether within the body.

But… look at me now.

Even though I have another magic core in my dantian, all I ever do is use skills. Magic? Forget about it.

If you don’t have the talent, having a core means nothing; you can’t use magic.

So, all I could say was that Princess Asher truly possessed a monstrous talent… Wait a minute.

“By chance, is there a subject available for experimentation?”

It was certain that Princess Asher truly possessed magical talent.

But, were those who couldn’t use magic really just lacking in talent?

Or were they unable to use magic simply because they lacked a second aether core, in addition to the heart?

According to Lillian Isolde, it was possible to create an aether core with five years of dedicated work…

Is there truly no method to create an aether core in a single night?

“You’re talking about human experimentation?”

“Indeed.”

Human experimentation was necessary to prove this.

Fortunately, the imperial dungeons housed prisoners suitable for such experiments.

“There are only two left, though. The rest have escaped.”

“Since I can’t give you a definitive answer just yet, I’d like to run some experiments and then offer a proper reply.”

“Oh…”

I decided to test my theory firsthand.

A silent experiment: If I were to pour an elixir into a body devoid of aether, where exactly would the elixir’s aether be stored?

…

“What are you imprisoned for?”

“…Rape.”

“Oh my… to commit such a vile act.”

“Still, I never raped on a sunny day.”

“…Shouldn’t rape be off-limits regardless of the weather?”

He didn’t rape on sunny days, what kind of righteous rapist was this?

I didn’t want to hear any more of his words, so I inserted a steel gag into his mouth, forcibly keeping it open.

Then, I swiftly tilted his head back, forcibly opening his throat.

At the same time…

“Silence.”

Silence had been laid upon the prisoner’s body, preventing all ether from being used.

“Now then, drink it all down.”

“Ugh…! What the…!”

“It’s an elixir.”

“…Huh?”

“An elixir to increase your ether. Drink it quickly.”

“…Eh?”

I personally forced the elixir down the criminal’s throat.

At first, he looked at it with a suspicious gaze, calling it an elixir, but soon, after confirming the taste, he began to swallow the elixir as it was given.

And so…

One bottle.

Two bottles.

Three bottles.

A total of three bottles of elixir were poured down the rapist’s throat.

I paused to observe his condition.

“Sleep.”

There was no way for me to know if another ether core had formed in his body, no matter how much I examined it.

After putting the criminal to sleep, I looked at Isabella behind him.

Isabella, who was monitoring whether another ether core was forming in his body at my request…

“Wow… I’ve never seen anything like this before. …How did the master even come up with this idea?”

She confirmed that a second ether core had indeed been created in the man’s body.

“Where is it located?”

“It’s very small, but it formed right below the heart. If ether starts flowing from the heart like usual, this core will slowly begin to grow as well.”

“So, it seems we can’t create an ether core in a desired location like Lilian Isoldé.”

“Isn’t creating this in one go already a miracle?”

My theory was correct.

In a body silenced and devoid of ether, the absorbed ether had to find a new home on its own.

As a result, the elixir, as soon as it was absorbed, would settle in a suitable location and build a new nest.

“But, we just made this guy capable of using magic in one night… What should we do?”

“Shall we kill him?”

“…Should we?”

“You’re not stopping me this time?”

“He deserves to die.”

“Aha!”

…

18 bottles of elixir.

A total of 6 people.

Once I convinced the Emperor that I could remodel people’s bodies to make them capable of using magic,

His Majesty requested that I remodel the bodies of a total of 6 people to allow them to use magic.

Of the six individuals present, a remarkable two were people with whom I shared a close bond.

“To utilize magic, one must construct another ether core within the body.”

Professor Layton, and Alexander Eloise.

The man hailed as the greatest swordsman of the Magic Kingdom… and the Margrave who defended the northern border.

Watching them take notes on my words, like students diligently attending the Professor’s lecture…

I couldn’t help but wonder if this was truly the reality of the situation.

“I am merely creating another magic core within your bodies. How much you choose to develop that core, and which specific magic resonates with you, is a matter for your own discovery.”

For now, I was simply relaying the magical theories that Lillian Isoldé had shared with me, doing my best to recall them for the six before me.

‘I’ll have to thank Lillian Isoldé later for the information.’

Of course.

The vast majority of the knowledge I was currently lecturing on was information that Lillian Isoldé had imparted to me directly in the past.

I didn’t forget to consider what reward I could bestow on Lillian Isoldé when I would return to the academy later.