Chapter 14: You Wanted Me Here, Didn’t You?

Chapter 14. You Wanted Me Here, Didn’t You?

I ate for another five portions before I decided to stop.

That was easily the best meal I’d had in years.

Maybe ever.

I leaned back slightly, one hand resting near my glass, and let my gaze drift across the room.

Lily looked pleased.

Seris looked amused.

Ariel looked relieved.

The servants looked increasingly confused by the fact that I had consumed enough food to personally threaten the kitchen’s inventory without throwing a single plate.

And then there was her.

The calm servant.

The one who had watched me instead of fearing me.

She had already begun moving toward the side door. Trying not to look like she was leaving because I’d noticed her.

Which, naturally, made it incredibly obvious.

My eyes followed her for half a second.

Memory stirred.

She hadn’t originally belonged to my household.

Elia had sent her here about a year ago.

Officially, the reason had been considerate.

Rey’s condition had deteriorated.

His appetite had collapsed.

His meals had become irregular.

So Elia Seren, Saintess of the Light Temple and supposedly concerned former companion, had arranged for one of her trusted attendants to assist with Rey’s meals and health.

A thoughtful gesture.

Rey had accepted because, at the time, he still appreciated Elia.

Trusted her, even.

Or at least trusted her enough not to immediately question why one of her personal attendants suddenly needed access to his mansion.

Then Lily discovered the woman was terrible at the actual job.

Meals arrived late.

Sometimes barely touched because she didn’t push Rey to eat.

Eventually Lily had simply taken over.

Yet the servant stayed.

I was sure around ninety percent chance she was a spy.

Maybe ninety-five.

I didn’t like rounding down when betrayal was involved.

I’d deal with her.

But not here.

Not while I still didn’t know how many ears belonged to someone else.

My gaze shifted toward Ariel.

She was drinking quietly, fingers curled around the stem of her glass.

I set my own glass down. "Ariel."

She immediately looked at me. "Yes?"

"Come to my chamber tonight."

Seris’s brows rose.

Lily looked at Ariel, then me.

Ariel lowered her head.

I didn’t elaborate. No mention of what I wanted to ask. Let anyone listening interpret it however they wanted.

"Fine," she answered.

I nodded. Then stood. I left the dining room without another word and headed toward Rey’s study.

The mansion felt different now that the memories had settled properly.

Less like an unfamiliar place.

More like walking through someone else’s childhood home while somehow knowing exactly which floorboard creaked.

I reached the study.

Locked the door behind me.

Then immediately opened my status.

[Forbidden Energy: 9%]

It had risen slightly after I spent it for Void Shift.

So Curse Conversion was working both actively and passively.

Normal mana contaminated by the curse was being redirected into Forbidden Energy automatically.

But slowly.

Far too slowly for someone who had just spent most of his reserves creating a giant flaming tornado because science demanded spectacle.

I needed a faster way.

My eyes drifted toward the shelves.

Potions.

Rey had an entire cabinet of them.

Mana recovery.

Stamina.

Healing.

Mental clarity.

Poison resistance.

The usual essentials.

I crossed the room and opened the mana-potion shelf.

Blue glass bottles lined the interior.

I picked one up.

[High-Grade Mana Potion]

[Effect: Restores normal mana.]

Normal mana. Which meant useless for Forbidden Energy.

At least directly.

I rolled the bottle between my fingers. "Arcana Injection."

[Arcana Injection activated.]

The system paused.

Probably because most sane people didn’t inject cursed power into consumables.

Good thing sanity wasn’t part of the research methodology.

Black-violet energy curled around the bottle.

The blue liquid inside began changing.

Slowly at first.

Then rapidly.

Its color deepened into dark indigo.

Thin crimson threads swirled through it like veins.

The glass itself developed faint black runes.

I leaned closer. "Interesting."

[Arcana Injection successful.]

[Item temporarily corrupted.]

[New item discovered.]

[Forbidden Mana Elixir]

[Type: Corrupted Consumable]

[Effect: Converts stored mana directly into Forbidden Energy.]

[Side Effect: Mild curse resonance.]

[Compatibility with Host: High.]

"Let’s try it."

No dramatic hesitation.

Researchers who spent too long hesitating never discovered anything fun.

I uncorked the bottle.

Smelled it.

Metallic.

Sweet.

Slightly smoky.

Probably terrible.

I drank it.

The liquid hit my tongue.

Cold.

Then burning.

Then somehow both at once.

I swallowed.

The bottle dissolved in my hand immediately after emptying, breaking apart into blue-black mana particles that vanished into the air.

My chest tightened.

Not painfully.

Powerfully.

Forbidden Energy surged through me.

[Forbidden Energy: 60%]

My eyes widened. "Oh."

I flexed my hand.

Black-violet sparks answered.

"Not bad."

No, that was excellent.

The system flared again.

[New application discovered.]

[Host has successfully corrupted a consumable item.]

[Skill acquired.]

[Arcane Potion Crafting]

[Allows Host to create and modify potion variants using magical knowledge.]

[Available categories:]

[Normal /Corrupted]

[Final potency depends on Host knowledge, ingredients, and energy quality.]

I stared.

Then a grin slowly spread across my face.

This meant I could modify potions directly and create something from scratch.

"I can make potions without my lab."

That grin had barely finished blooming when...

-BOOOOOOM!

The mansion shook.

I stopped.

Dust fell from one shelf.

A glass bottle rattled.

Then another explosion sounded from somewhere toward the eastern wing.

-THOOM!

My expression changed instantly.

The amusement vanished.

Cold focus settled in its place.

I stepped out of the study.

Before I reached the corridor intersection, Lily appeared.

Fast.

Her wings were out.

Green mana flickered around her body.

Vines curled around one arm like living armor.

"Rey." She hurried toward me. "Go back."

I raised one brow. "What happened?"

"Monster breach."

Another distant impact shook the windows.

Lily barely reacted. "Eastern perimeter."

"How many?"

"A lot."

"Rank?"

"Mostly mid-level. We can handle it," she continued. "Seris is already there."

Lily placed one hand against my chest. "You need to rest."

"I’m fine."

Her eyes narrowed. "You said that earlier."

Fair.

She looked genuinely worried. "Please. Go to your room."

I held her gaze. Then nodded once. "Fine."

That visibly relieved her.

She turned and immediately rushed away.

I watched her disappear down the corridor.

Monsters breaching noble estates wasn’t impossible in this era.

This wasn’t my modern age.

Barrier technology was weaker.

Wild magical populations were higher.

Corrupted zones existed closer to cities.

Even in my era, monster attacks still happened.

Just less often.

Less randomly.

But this?

Tonight?

Right after I awakened?

Convenient.

I was about to observe from a high place.

Then footsteps approached.

Fast.

The calm servant.

She came around the corner looking breathless. "My lord!"

I stopped.

She bowed quickly. "There is another attack."

I looked at her. "Where?"

"West wing. Near the training chamber." Then she delivered the important part. "Lady Ariel is in danger."

My face remained perfectly still.

Inside? I almost laughed.

There it was. The hook.

East wing attacked loudly enough to pull Lily and Seris away.

Then someone directed me west.

Claims Ariel is in danger.

Near the exact place where I had just used forbidden energy.

This was either an extraordinary coincidence...

Or someone thought Rey Valen was much easier to manipulate than he actually was.

I would play along.

I stepped closer.

The servant lowered her eyes.

I let my voice turn colder. "Show me."

She looked up. "Yes, my lord."

She turned. I followed.

The farther we moved toward the west wing, the quieter the mansion became. Which meant either everyone here was already dead...

Or nobody had actually been attacked.

My money was on the second.

The servant glanced over her shoulder. "My lord, please hurry."

I said nothing.

That made her move faster.

The corridor opened toward the western courtyard.

And there it was.

A monster stood beneath the shattered remains of the outer barrier.

Huge.

At least four meters tall.

Six if it raised itself fully.

Its body resembled some grotesque combination of a bear and an armored reptile, covered in dark gray plates layered across massive shoulders. Two curved horns protruded from its skull, while its forearms ended in thick claws long enough to carve through stone.

But the most distinctive feature was the cluster of glowing amber crystals embedded along its spine.

[Ironback Behemoth]

[Rank: A]

[Element: Earth]

[Temperament: Normally Passive]

[Threat Level: High when provoked]

I stared.

Ironback Behemoths were territorial, yes, but they rarely attacked humans unless threatened, injured, or deliberately agitated.

In my era, some regions even used domesticated ones for heavy construction.

They were basically enormous magical bulldozers with anger issues that only activated when someone was stupid enough to poke them.

Which meant somebody had brought this thing here.

Provoked it.

The servant suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened dramatically. "Lady Ariel?"

I almost rolled my eyes.

She looked around frantically. "My lord... I can’t see Lady Ariel anywhere!"

Too loud.

Then she screamed. "Ariel!"

The behemoth’s head snapped toward us.

Its amber eyes flared.

The crystals along its spine lit up.

The servant gasped. "Oh no—"

Oh, please. You had all the acting range of wet bread.

The monster roared.

The courtyard shook.

Stone cracked beneath its forelimbs.

Then it charged.

Straight at us.

The servant stumbled backward.

I didn’t move.

Four meters.

Three.

Two...

I raised my hand calmly. "Corruption Bolt."