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Yeon Ji-ho sat on the bed in his home’s main bedroom, quietly staring at the wardrobe across from him. A subtle tension was etched on his face.
As his heartbeat unconsciously started to quicken, Yeon Ji-ho unknowingly placed his hand on his belly and gently caressed it. Recently, he had developed a habit of touching his stomach when feeling nervous or anxious.
“Bael, it’s okay.”
As if hearing Yeon Ji-ho’s whisper, Bael immediately responded by kicking the belly. At times like this, Yeon Ji-ho felt as if Bael could hear everything he said from inside the womb. That’s why he usually tried to be careful with his words and actions, fearing he might say something bad.
After patting his belly to calm Bael, Yeon Ji-ho resumed staring intently at the wardrobe. Just as he finally opened his mouth to speak, having made up his mind:
“Ji-ho, are you here?”
Click.
The bedroom door opened and Set entered. Yeon Ji-ho, who had instantly swallowed what he was about to say, turned his head as Set handed him the mug he was holding. Looking at the contents, it was citron tea.
“You said your throat hurt.”
“Where did this come from?”
“Seon-rok gave it to me earlier. Said you used to drink it a lot when you were young.”
He seemed to remember the casual remark. Yeon Ji-ho said a small thank you and started slowly drinking the warm citron tea. As the sweet and tangy taste of citron lingered in his mouth, his mood improved considerably.
Set took a seat next to Yeon Ji-ho on the bed and asked:
“What were you doing here?”
“Well… I was thinking about my ability.”
Yeon Ji-ho nervously fiddled with the handle of the mug he was holding. Ability? Was it right to call it an ability?
The fact that a gate opens to anywhere he wishes could be considered an extraordinarily special ability. As Hadad said, it might be an ability he gained because he was the protagonist. Just like how Gliese, the female protagonist, was born with the power of prophecy.
But Yeon Ji-ho had wished for the god to no longer interfere with his fate. If so, wouldn’t it be right for his ability as a protagonist to disappear?
No, even if it didn’t disappear, it seemed better to use this ability as little as possible. If he carelessly used it and got caught on camera… It would be terrible.
“So I wanted to do some experiments first. For example, if there are any restrictions on its use… Or if there are any penalties to my health or lifespan.”
“…Lifespan?”
Set’s brow furrowed. Yeon Ji-ho’s health and lifespan were inevitably sensitive topics for him.
“No, it’s just an example. Set, how do magicians usually create gates?”
As Set’s mood seemed to darken, Yeon Ji-ho quickly changed the subject. After pondering for a moment, Set replied:
“Two things are needed to create a gate. One is the gate’s blueprint, and the other is mana.”
“Mana?”
“In Asterra, mana usually exists in two forms. Knights’ aura and magicians’ mana. Although the methods of acquiring and using them differ, their roots are the same.”
Set gave Yeon Ji-ho a brief explanation about the basic mana studies that knights and magicians first take. Yeon Ji-ho listened quietly to his explanation before asking a question:
“Is there no danger in generating and using mana?”
“Usually not. But if overused, there’s always a backlash. At the least, internal injuries, and if used beyond that…”
“If used beyond that?”
“…There’s a saying, though it’s just a rumor, that it shortens one’s lifespan.”
At those words, Yeon Ji-ho’s mouth opened slightly. Then he turned his head to look at the wardrobe in front of him. Does his ability also use ‘mana’ inside his body to open gates? Yeon Ji-ho was curious about that first.
“Is there no way to know if I have mana?”
“If it were aura, you’d know immediately when holding a sword. But from what I see, it doesn’t seem to be aura.”
After thinking for a moment, Set went out and called Apophis, who was playing with Isquis. As Apophis poked his head in, Yeon Ji-ho smiled and waved at him.
“What’s the matter, Ji-ho?”
“Could we find out if I have mana too?”
“Hmm…”
Apophis put his hand on his chin, seeming to ponder for a moment. Then he glanced at Set and hesitantly said:
“A magician’s mana circle is usually formed here, in the lower abdomen. To check if you have a mana circle, Ji-ho, I would need to touch that area.”
Saying this, Apophis touched his lower abdomen, just below his navel, to demonstrate. As Yeon Ji-ho nodded at Apophis’s explanation and was about to show his belly, Set intervened between the two.
With a rather stern face, he said:
“…You need to touch the belly to know?”
“Yes.”
“Is it enough to touch over the clothes?”
“Well, it would be more certain without any barriers…”
Hup.
Apophis, facing Set who was standing in a direction where Yeon Ji-ho couldn’t see his face, inhaled sharply for a moment. As the pale-faced Apophis was about to shake his head and retract his words, Yeon Ji-ho, sitting behind Set, spoke up:
“Would you come closer? Set, could you step out for a moment?”
“…Ji-ho!”
“Come on.”
Yeon Ji-ho slowly unbuttoned his loose pajama top from the bottom. As the loose top parted, his swollen belly protruded. It was then that a surprised Set hurriedly approached and covered the sight.
“Sh-Showing such an indecent sight to another man…!”
“Set, if you don’t leave, I’ll leave.”
As Set showed no signs of leaving while flustering in front of him, Yeon Ji-ho demonstratively stood up. Then Set grabbed his shoulders, sat him down, and said he would leave.
Composing himself, Set finally left Yeon Ji-ho and Apophis alone in the room. Of course, just before leaving, he gave Apophis’s shoulder a hard pat.
Left alone, Apophis, smiling awkwardly, spoke:
“…May I come closer, Ji-ho?”
“Yes, of course.”
In fact, among the knights, Apophis was the one Yeon Ji-ho felt most comfortable with, aside from Set. Not only was he the first knight Yeon Ji-ho met, but he was also the only one at eye level with Yeon Ji-ho among all the giant beasts.
Thanks to this, Yeon Ji-ho comfortably opened his clothes and watched as Apophis approached and knelt in front of him. Finally, Apophis reached out and placed his palm on the lower part of his belly.
“…”
“…How is it?”
“Hmm…”
Apophis hesitated to speak for a moment. Then, after removing and replacing his hand once more, he finally answered:
“It seems you don’t have a mana circle, Ji-ho.”
“Ah, I thought so.”
Yeon Ji-ho nodded, saying he expected as much. For some reason, though he couldn’t be certain, he felt that his ability was somewhat different from the usage method of magicians like Apophis.
“Those who become magicians are usually born with innate mana. Although the number of mana circles can be increased through practice later, the first mana circle is typically present from birth.”
“I guess it would be difficult for me to become a magician then.”
As Yeon Ji-ho hadn’t expected it from the beginning, he spoke without much concern. Apophis nodded with an apologetic expression. As the conversation concluded, Set, who had been standing outside, burst through the door. Given how quickly he entered after the conversation ended, he had clearly been eavesdropping.
“So we can’t know the cause of the gates forming in the wardrobe?”
“It seems not. And Ji-ho, it’s not good to carelessly use a power whose principle you don’t understand.”
“That’s right, Ji-ho. The most important thing magicians consider when using magic is their own capacity. Mana is directly linked to life, after all.”
When even Apophis said this, Ji-ho decided to seal his ability. However, at that moment, Apophis, who had been hesitating to speak, carefully opened his mouth.
“But… there’s one thing that bothers me.”
“What is it?”
Set asked without waiting. As someone who wanted to know everything related to Yeon Ji-ho, he didn’t hesitate.
“While Ji-ho doesn’t seem to have a mana circle…”
“…?”
“Bael… seems to have received the blessing of mana.”
At Apophis’s words, Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes widened. Set was equally surprised.
“Ji-ho’s ability doesn’t seem to be related to Bael’s mana. The gate Your Excellency came through was created before that. But one thing is clear.”
Apophis took a deep breath and said:
“Bael will likely be born with a greater mana talent than myself or Your Excellency.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
