Chapter 76. The Clue

Despite Aster’s explanation, Father didn’t stop his questioning easily. Instead, he started talking about something incomprehensible, which confused me.

“Seeing as you say you have nothing to do with it, it seems you know what your father was trying to create.”

“From the moment I saw the changes in the Black Shadow’s tattoos, I had a rough idea.”

“Yes. As the heir of Blanche, you wouldn’t be unaware.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

I tilted my head, unable to understand their conversation. It seemed both Father and Aster knew the meaning of that red stone.

“Please tell me too. What is that stone?”

“The Duke of Blanche is trying to create the Maved Stone through his experiments.”

“What?”

I was shocked and my eyes widened at the mention of the Maved Stone. The Maved Stone, also known as the ‘Stone of Death,’ was a stone that extended one’s life at the cost of another’s.

In ancient times, King Autanus, a tyrant, had ruled the continent, calling himself an immortal. He lived over 200 years and was worshipped like a god.

But eventually, his tyranny led to a rebellion, and the secret of his longevity was exposed to the world.

He had been using the Maved Stone to take others’ lives and extend his own. After that, the Maved Stone was destroyed, and the method of making it was torn to pieces and burned.

And now the Duke of Blanche was trying to create such a stone?

I couldn’t easily accept it and started asking questions.

“But the Maved Stone is just a legend, right? How could the Duke of Blanche possibly create it?”

“Samuel once came to me and said he could let me meet my dead wife.”

“What?”

“It was a mockery, exploiting the Blanche family’s secret of summoning. The head of the Blanche family can perform soul summoning.”

“How despicable!”

I was furious at the Duke of Blanche for mocking my father, who was grieving over my mother’s death.

Even if he didn’t express condolences, mocking was beyond unacceptable. Especially since he was the main culprit behind her death. The Duke of Blanche’s actions were inhumane.

As I thought about it, I realized something and my mouth fell open.

Blanche’s secret technique.

Soul summoning.

The Maved Stone, the treasure of the deceased Autanus.

“Could it be… no, right?”

I shook my head, unwilling to imagine such a scenario. But my guess was correct. Aster spoke.

“The Blanche family is blessed by the Phoenix. Using the family’s secret technique, they could summon King Autanus.”

“That’s impossible!”

I screamed in denial at the worst possibility. But Father seemed to agree with Aster. He added to the explanation.

“Yes. Samuel must have used the Blanche family’s secret technique to learn how to create the Maved Stone from King Autanus. He must have committed many evil deeds to do so.”

“But there’s no proof that the stone is the Maved Stone, right? How can you be so sure?”

When I asked about the parts I still didn’t understand, Father opened his clenched fist. There was red stone powder, presumably from the stone embedded in the Black Shadow’s tattoo.

“This stone was parasitizing the Black Shadow’s body, sucking its life. Given that all but the one whose hand was cut off exploded and died, it’s certain. They probably didn’t know it was a life-stealing stone.”

The Black Shadows, who had survived because Aster cut off their hands, were all dead. I covered my mouth with my hand and let out a low groan.

“Such…”

“A stone that contains evil energy, absorbs abilities, and steals the host’s life is characteristic of the Maved Stone.”

Father calmly explained as he dropped the red stone powder to the ground.

“This is just a replica to amplify the power of the Maved Stone. The real one must be in the Duke’s possession.”

“Does that mean the Duke succeeded in creating the Maved Stone?”

“Well, given that it’s been quiet, it seems it’s still incomplete. If he had succeeded, he wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”

So the worst-case scenario hadn’t happened yet. We had to stop the Duke before he completed the Maved Stone.

Even if it wasn’t just for revenge, what the Duke of Blanche was trying to do would shake not just the Ahivith Empire but the entire Elbrecht continent.

It was obvious what he would do with that stone. With a stern face, I said.

“This is clearly a rebellion.”

Father nodded at my words. Then he asked an unexpected question.

“Camilla, you said a red flash hit you when you dealt with the demonic beast, right?”

“Yes. I fainted from the impact.”

Given the mana rampage that followed, it was clear that my mana core had been severely damaged. Father seemed to be contemplating something serious. After a moment, he spoke.

“Camilla, perhaps the abnormalities in your body are also due to the Maved Stone.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if it’s incomplete, being directly affected by the experimental subject would naturally cause problems with your mana core. If you weren’t a Francis, you probably wouldn’t have survived.”

“……”

As I remained silent, Father sighed deeply and continued.

“If we find the hidden Maved Stone, it might be possible to normalize your mana core.”

“Is that true?”

At that moment, Aster, who had been listening silently, stepped forward and asked. I had already told Aster everything that happened that day on our way back to Apelli from the cruise.

When I told him that my abilities had disappeared, Aster was as distressed as if it were his own problem. The abilities, which were like a blessing from the divine beast, were essential in noble society.

Having no abilities was akin to being left behind. Even a humble family could rise quickly if abilities manifested in Ahivith.

Of course, Francis was not small enough to be ignored for lack of abilities. But Aster seemed to blame himself, thinking things had gone wrong because of him, and he hoped Father’s words were true.

“I was the one who sealed Camilla’s mana core that day. At that time, the evil energy was eating away at her mana core.”

“Ha.”

“To remove the fused fragment, we need to bring the main body.”

“I pledge on my honor to find it.”

Aster spoke with determination, as if he had received a mission of a lifetime. It was hard to stop him from making such a pledge.

He seemed to want to restore my mana core, feeling responsible for what happened.

“That’s only natural. Since it was your family that caused this, you should do so if you have any decency.”

Father responded unusually coldly. He seemed particularly sharp because Aster was a Blanche. Yet, he seemed to restrain further displeasure because Aster was my husband.

Given that Father had just learned the truth, his sensitive reaction was understandable.

I summarized the conversation.

“So, if we uncover Duke Blanche’s experiments, we can take revenge on Blanche and restore my abilities, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. If that’s the case, I have the most certain method.”

I replied confidently with a grin. While the two were bickering, I had been devising a plan.

With my memories returned, I was the only witness and in the best position to piece together the scattered puzzle. If my plan succeeded, we could surely bring down the Duke of Blanche.

“What are you thinking?”

“Do you have any leads?”

Father and Aster asked in succession, staring at me. I spoke with a meaningful look.

“Why do you think I wanted to infiltrate Blanche through a contract marriage? What was the first thing I did when I entered Blanche Castle?”

Aster seemed to realize something at my question. He knew that I had accessed the Blanche library as soon as I entered the castle.

Among the expenditure records I reviewed with the authority of the young mistress, there was one particularly notable detail. Their annual consumption of magic stones was enormous.

At the time, I thought it was due to Blanche’s vanity and the maintenance costs of their luxurious villa. The expenditure records stated as much, and the villa’s scale was indeed enormous.

But could Blanche have used such a large amount of magic stones just for vanity?

Was the Duke of Blanche eyeing the Rain Mine merely to increase wealth through mining rights?

Once I knew about the secret experiments, it was clear that the source of those magic stones was not simple.

I spoke with conviction.

“From Blanche’s expenditure records, it’s clear that a large amount of magic stones is needed to create the Maved Stone. If we track where the magic stones are going, we can find the lab.”