Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 100

100. Anghel Briman (2)

Words failed me.

Thoughts deserted me.

The news of Anghel’s heart stopping.

It brought my thoughts to a standstill.

‘……’

A sensation akin to losing my five senses. I was no stranger to this unpleasant feeling.

I had experienced it quite often as Adonis. It was a feeling I got every time I lost a comrade, so it was never welcome.

My whole body was aching from sparring with Karles all night, and yet, now only the sensation of my trembling lips registered.

I wanted to say something, but…

“……What?”

The only word that escaped the vibration of my lips was that.

Then, a hand touched mine. A warm sensation spread through me.

“Ian.”

A soft voice brushed against my ear. As if trying to restore my lost senses, Karis was approaching.

“……Karis.”

“I think it would be best to go and check on Anghel first.”

“……I suppose.”

Numbly, I let her lead me away.

Oberon was silent, and so was Karles. We walked in a long silence.

Creak-

The grating sound of hinges echoed in my ear. The old hinges of the inn awakened me from my daze, and…

‘……’

What came into my view were a dozen or so figures lined up.

Likely executives from the Central Council. They must have rushed over upon hearing the dire news about Anghel.

Leaving the bowing figures behind, I ascended the stairs.

“H, hey! What do we do!”

Aries’s fuss broke the silence. Beyond her, I could see the grief-stricken faces of Drew and Admun. And behind them…

‘……’

Anghel’s pale complexion filled my vision, weighing heavily on my heart.

“I’ve been examining him all night, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Karis stood beside him, shaking her head.

“Thanks to the magic Aries cast, the rest of his body is still alive, but his heart had already stopped. I’m sorry. This is beyond my abilities.”

Tears streamed down Karis’s face as she lowered her head.

“……No. I’m sorry for asking the impossible. It’s not your fault.”

She had the ability to heal, but she wasn’t a god who could revive the dead. Of course, I had no intention of blaming Karis.

“There’s really no other way?”

I was grasping at straws, but.

“……I’m sorry.”

Karis shook her head in the end.

“Um. Excuse me?”

A voice entered my ear at that moment. I turned to see Aries scratching her head.

“Aries, if you’re about to say something strange again, I’d appreciate it if you could step outside for a moment. This is not the time.”

Admun tried to stop her. Aries, being pushed out, cried out urgently.

“That’s not it! I have a method we could try!”

Her voice barely reached me before the door closed.

“What?”

“I think there might be a way!”

Aries pushed the closing door open and approached.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. Have you ever heard of a Chimera?”

“What?”

I certainly remembered seeing it in the Black Magic Grimoire. A spell to create a stronger life form by combining the bodies of various creatures. It was a difficult, high-level spell even among black magic.

“Um, I was wondering if we could transplant another heart in place of his. You said the rest of his body can be saved, right?”

Everyone frowned at those words.

“Is that really possible?”

Like Drew, everyone was skeptical. It was a forbidden art, so most people had never even heard of it.

‘There’s definitely a possibility.’

But I was different. If it meant saving Anghel, I would put in any effort. No matter the method, no matter the difficulty.

‘……I might be able to save him.’

If there was even a small chance, there was no reason not to try.

“What do you need?”

In the end, I had no choice but to ask for Aries’s help.

“Tell me quickly! I’ll get you anything.”

As I grabbed her wrist, Aries smirked.

“Hey, calm down. There’s nothing to prepare.”

“What?”

“I already have the hearts I’ve been collecting.”

Aries pointed to the bracelet on my wrist.

“All my research materials are in there. There are still some fresh hearts, too.”

“Ah……!”

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

Woo-oong!

I immediately deployed Illimitable’s subspace [a personal storage dimension].

Kwaaa…….!

Several objects poured out along with it. Hearts of various sizes were encased in transparent membranes.

“Heh heh. How about it? This is my collection, gathered for this day!”

Aries was grinning from ear to ear, oblivious to the mood, but I didn’t find her repulsive at this moment. She was the only hope to open Anghel’s eyes.

“Quickly! Quickly, let’s transplant it.”

“Okay. I’ll pick a good one.”

Aries rummaged through the dozen or so hearts. Soon, her eyes sparkled.

“Heh heh. This one’s perfect!”

The heart in her hand was about the size of a fist. Encased in a transparent membrane, it maintained a vibrant red color.

“Can we transplant it right away?”

“Just a moment. I need to make sure, so I’ll look at the book first.”

Aries flipped through the Black Magic Grimoire I handed her.

“Um… But, Ian.”

Karis peeked between us.

“Yes, Karis.”

“I don’t know what method you’re using, but even if you save Anghel that way, it will be difficult for him to wield mana like before.”

There was truth in her words. A mage’s mana resided around the heart. If another person’s heart was transplanted, Anghel’s accumulated mana would be lost.

“It can’t be helped. Saving him is the priority.”

The 8-star mana was a pity, but that was something to worry about after saving Anghel.

“Or, how about inserting the heart of someone who used to wield a lot of mana? Then it would be easier for Anghel to adapt. It would be relatively easy to gather.”

Karis’s words made sense, so my gaze immediately turned to Aries.

“Aries, is that perhaps a mage’s heart?”

“Huh? No. This heart has never used mana. Of course, none of the others do either. Think about it! How would I get a mage’s heart?”

Aries shook her head.

[Tch. Then how is having several of those hearts any different?]

‘My thoughts exactly.’

Anyway, there was no way. It wasn’t like we could go out and catch a mage right now.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s just focus on saving Anghel.”

I gave up and focused on Aries’s actions.

“Um. Or perhaps there are artifacts among humans that can do that?”

Karis asked again.

“What kind of artifacts?”

“Something that can store mana. If we connect it to the heart, it might be easier to wield mana.”

Aries’s ears perked up at those words.

“Pfft! What artifact like that exists? If there was such a thing, all the mages in the world would be fighting over it. It would be worth more than anything!”

“Ah, is that so… I don’t know much about human things. Then there’s no way.”

Karis gave a sheepish smile. But I felt like I had found a spark of hope.

‘An artifact that can store mana?’

[Hooh. Is Anghel lucky?]

My gaze was drawn to my waist. There was a belt decorated with a red bead.

The artifact I received from the merchant chieftain. An item stolen from Delema a thousand years ago.

Chwaak!

I immediately untied it and handed it to Karis.

“Huh? Why suddenly the belt…?”

I responded to her bewilderment with a smile.

“It’s the artifact you mentioned that can store mana.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. Mana can be stored in that red bead.”

“……I can feel the aura of an Ego [a powerful magical entity] from here?”

“Yes. The merchant chieftain was keeping it. It doesn’t contain the Ego’s mana anymore.”

The red bead shone brilliantly. Karis’s eyes lit up as she received it.

“Ooh!”

Aries, who was examining the Black Magic Grimoire, also looked surprised, and her gaze was focused on it.

“Wh, what? Something like that exists? Really? Heh! How do you even have something like that?”

Soon, her eyes were filled with desire.

“Th, that! Can’t you give it to me? I’ll put it to good use!”

“Don’t be greedy. If I was going to give it to you, I would have used it myself.”

“Boss! Please!”

“If you say any more nonsense, I won’t lend you that book again. Hurry up and learn the spell.”

“Tch! How stingy!”

Only then did she turn her head back to the Black Magic Grimoire.

“Can we connect this to the heart and transplant it?”

My gaze turned back to Karis.

“Um, if it’s about this size, we can insert it inside the heart?”

Karis brought the bead next to the heart that Aries had taken out.

“Then Anghel will be able to use magic?”

“It will take some time to adapt, but it will be much more helpful. I’ll take responsibility for inserting it.”

Karis nodded. But then, she looked at Aries suspiciously.

“But, more than that, I don’t know if the heart transplant will work properly. I’ve never heard of such a thing being possible.”

Aries scoffed as expected.

“What? Tch. Are you doubting my skills? What do you take me for! I’m Aries, the one who can make even crying babies stop crying!”

Thump!

Finally, she closed the book she was reading.

“Hey, kid. You just stay out of the way and do your job.”

She glared at Karis once and snatched the heart Karis was holding.

“I’m going to do it right now, so follow me!”

“Ah, y-yes……”

The two headed straight for Anghel.

A dark aura still covered Anghel’s body. Aries’s black magic was still in place to prevent his cells from aging.

“I’m going to remove this now? I need to start the spell.”

Aries was about to chant a new spell. I couldn’t help but ask her again.

“Aries, you’ve definitely mastered the spell, right?”

She had only looked at the Black Magic Grimoire for about 2 minutes. It was hard to believe that she had learned such a difficult spell in that time.

“Of course. Once I see it, I’m done. What else is there to see?”

“……It’s not a problem to think about so simply. If you make a mistake, Anghel will die.”

“Tch! You don’t trust me either? I made a slight mistake with the Bone Dragon, but! I have a better memory than you think!”

“Okay. I was just checking. Anghel is that important.”

“Tch! Get out of the way, you’re being a nuisance!”

Aries was paying back the humiliation she had suffered when Karis first arrived.

‘Hoo. I’ll be patient.’

As she said, I had no choice but to step back a few steps.

“Kikik!”

She was constantly laughing, not knowing what was so good.

But she was the one who needed to concentrate the most at this moment, so I could only hope that she wouldn’t make a mistake.

Aries immediately raised her hand.

“Then, let’s begin!”

Following her gesture, the dark auras covering Anghel’s body began to scatter.