Pure - 60
When they arrived at the room where the princesses and queens had told them to meet, Juro immediately noticed King Brunzel standing nearby, talking with several knights and mages.
The King noticed him as well and quickly called him over.
Meanwhile, Bell went to meet up with Noria and Brea, who were already talking together.
King Brunzel congratulated Juro on his party's victory in the competition. He also told him that he had already instructed the castle's chefs to prepare a high-quality dinner for their celebration.
…
Juro laughed and thanked the king for his generosity.
"Oh, it's fine. It's the least I could do after missing such a match," King Brunzel added.
"Hehe, then thanks. I'm sure the kids would love to eat all the food you prepared for us."
The two continued talking about the competition, with Juro casually bragging that none of the adventurers had made him feel particularly threatened and that he had been confident about facing any of them.
King Brunzel simply laughed along with him as their conversation continued.
Meanwhile, when Bell approached Noria and Brea, the two noticed him and immediately asked how Marc was doing.
"He's sleeping peacefully in the room," Bell replied.
Both of them smiled before Bell glanced between them and asked, "What are you two doing here?"
"Oh, we were actually planning to ask Father if he knows any mage who could help us with this paper," Noria explained.
"Hm? What's this about?" Bell asked as he looked through the paper. After reading it for a moment, his expression brightened slightly. "Ohh, is this an assignment for the academy?"
Noria and Brea both nodded.
Bell smiled as he continued looking through the paper. "Hm, I see. I think I can help you with this."
"Wait, really?"
Brea and Noria spoke at almost the exact same time.
"Yeah. So, what you do here is..."
As Bell began helping Noria and Brea with their academy assignment, Juro and the king continued their conversation nearby.
"So, how was the competition?" King Brunzel asked as he sat down on one of the sofas.
Juro casually took a seat as well before replying, "Meh, it was okay."
"Based on the way you're talking about it, I'm guessing there wasn't much of a challenge there for you."
Juro smiled, leaning back against the sofa.
"Pretty much, yeah. But it was still a meaningful competition."
The king raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"It's the kids. I'm sure the competition helped them learn something, especially Marc."
King Brunzel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Marc... That yellow-haired kid, is it? I felt a strong, very warm presence coming from him. But at the same time, it felt like there was something... vast beneath him."
Juro smiled before nodding in agreement.
"Yeah... that kid is very gifted when it comes to mana. He has as much, or maybe even more mana than a freshly graduated mage."
Both the king and Juro laughed before King Brunzel spoke again.
"That reminds me of the stories my father used to tell me. My grandfather too. They both spoke about the achievements of The Greatest Mage, but they also talked about the person who was always by the greatest mage's side."
Juro's expression remained calm as he listened.
"I remember the stories describing him as someone whose achievements were almost comparable to The Greatest Mage himself. They said that man possessed an almost immeasurable amount of mana. He was known as The Strongest, and supposedly the best when it came to using purely mana manipulation magic."
King Brunzel paused for a moment, as if trying to remember the stories he had heard.
"But that wasn't all. My father also mentioned something about him being able to use... Pure mana."
Juro smirked as he listened to him.
"Hoho? Are you saying that kid reminded you of one of the legends from back in that era?"
King Brunzel laughed before replying, "In a way, yes. Although I think you would know better than I do. I've only met and interacted with that bright kid a few times, but even then, I could feel the purity about him. And I've heard that during the competition, he was using mana manipulation magic. Hohoho, that kid is going to have major potential."
As Juro listened to those last words, a thought crossed his mind.
"I figured he had someone watching the match... Well, that's common. Especially when his whole family went out."
He smiled before speaking again.
"Yeah, you're right. I've spent more time with him, and what I can tell you is that there's a chance he might become even better than that mage."
Juro said it with a confident smirk.
Both of them laughed before the king's attention shifted toward another person.
"Although, aside from that bright kid, there's also that other kid over there."
His gaze moved toward Bell, who was still with Noria and Brea.
"Oh, Bell, huh? Ain't he interesting?" Juro commented with a smirk.
"Hoho, very interesting indeed. Unlike that bright kid, Marc, who has a warm presence, that white-haired kid, Bell, has an almost unexplainable presence around him. It feels like he's a bit too mature for his age."
"Yeah, I can't blame you for thinking that. Even I sometimes start wondering whether he's actually a kid or not."
Juro chuckled.
King Brunzel lightly laughed before saying, "Maybe he's that person's son."
Juro looked at him.
"Who? The Greatest Mage?"
Suddenly, both Juro and the king leaned forward.
Their expressions turned serious.
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
"..."
"AHAHAHA!"
The two suddenly burst into laughter.
"Naaaahhhhh! I mean, I've tried asking him that, but obviously... naaaahhh!" Juro said between laughs.
King Brunzel laughed along with him. "Indeed. It would be continental-breaking news if that man were to ever have a child."
"Ahahahah!"
…
Meanwhile, Bell remained with the two sisters.
Bell casually scratched the inside of his ear.
Noria looked at him. "Is something wrong, Bell?"
Bell glanced back at her and shook his head.
"Ah, no, no. It's nothing. I just suddenly felt something itching in my ear..."
…
Some time passed before King Brunzel called over the three of them.
"Noria, Brea, Bell. Dinner will be ready soon, so why don't you three go call your friend Marc?"
Noria and Brea both bowed while Bell nodded.
They then turned around and began heading back to the room to wake Marc.
...
Meanwhile, inside the room where Marc lay asleep, something deep within him began to feel strangely heavy.
His chest slowly started to grow heavier, as if something abundant was gradually gathering inside it. Marc's expression, which had previously been peaceful, slowly shifted into one of discomfort.
Somewhere within his mind, he saw that glowing orb again.
The same orb he had created back at the orphanage.
The orb slowly began to move.
As it did, that uncomfortable feeling inside Marc began moving as well. At first, it was around his head, but then it slowly traveled downward.
Toward his chest.
And then suddenly...
The orb stopped moving.
It was quiet.
There was nothing but darkness around him. Empty, yet strangely peaceful.
Then, all of a sudden, the orb started shaking.
As it trembled, the mana stored within it began to spiral and flow in every direction. The movement gradually grew stronger and stronger until...
A huge burst of mana exploded from the orb.
The orb itself remained intact, but mana began leaking out from it. At first, it flowed like water spilling from a container.
Then it became more.
A pool... no, a wave of mana began gushing outward, endlessly flowing into the darkness around it. The empty space slowly began to fill as mana moved above and around without end.
Then something else appeared.
A different shade of mana slowly began to bloom from nowhere.
Its color looked pure.
Clean.
Far too pure and clean compared to the regular mana surrounding it.
It was vibrantly clear.
And suddenly, Marc woke up.
His eyes opened as he stared at the ceiling above him. His chest felt heavy, and there was a slight discomfort in his head, but other than that, nothing seemed unusual.
Marc looked around before slowly sitting up on the bed. He examined his hands.
They were completely fine.
But what Marc didn't know was that the moment he had opened his eyes, mana had been spiraling within his pupils.
And among all the mana moving there...
There was one unfamiliar color.
That pure, clean mana.
Marc closed his eyes again and took a moment to calm himself. When he finally opened them, the mana around his eyes had already dispersed.
"Did I have a weird dream or something...?"
The thought passed through his mind.
Soon, the heavy feeling in his chest disappeared, and the discomfort in his head faded along with it.
Marc turned toward the window.
Outside, the radiant sun had begun its slow descent. Its warm light stretched across the scenery, and for some reason, simply looking at it felt somewhat healing.
Marc quietly stared outside.
Beyond the window were houses, mountains, and wide stretches of land reaching far into the distance. The scenery felt peaceful, filled with a strange sense of hope and happiness.
As he continued looking out, a thought slowly entered his mind.
"Just how big is this world, really?"
Then the door opened.
Bell, Noria, and Brea entered the room.
Marc slowly turned toward them with a smile.
But from their perspective...
It was almost like they were looking at a rare painting.
The warm sunlight behind Marc framed his figure, making his peaceful expression stand out even more. Both princesses froze for a moment, their eyes widening slightly as they stared at him.
The same thought passed through both of their minds.
"Is he royalty...?"
Even Bell, who showed little reaction, couldn't help thinking to himself.
"Woah... He has an insanely captivating face and atmosphere around him. Even the princesses are too shocked to speak."
"Uhh... Noria? Brea?"
Marc's voice finally snapped them out of their brief trance.
"Ah... oh, uh, well," Noria quickly said, "Father told us to wake you up since dinner will be ready soon."
Brea spoke immediately afterward.
"Ah, yeah. And how are you feeling, Marc?"
Bell simply stood to the side and lightly chuckled.
Marc smiled.
"I'm feeling fine. I'm still a bit tired, but I already got some rest!" He stretched slightly before grinning. "Now I'm feeling hungry. Let's go together and eat."
As he spoke, Marc moved the blanket aside before reaching for his pouch and potions.
He grabbed them...
And hugged them close to his chest.