Chapter 18

His body detected something swirling deep within, a pure form of mana that had never been drawn out before.

The first time he realized he had mana in this body was when he left the inn to search for a house.

Mana is the fundamental power that enables the use of magical abilities.

In his past life, he also possessed it, so he was certain this feeling was indeed mana.

Mana was the energy consumed every time he used magic-related skills.

‘But why didn’t I manifest it even once?’

Alec, his head aching, closed his eyes tightly and covered them with his hand.

If he had been able to manifest and control this power, he wouldn’t have been so helpless against the tyrant.

‘That poison-eating bastard, he’s not a weak human.’

In this world, except for a very few, magic was entirely unknown.

Magic was considered a fantastical, unrealistic power found only in novels.

In such a world, being born with mana meant having the potential to become the strongest being in the world.

If Alec had properly used his power, he would have been the only one capable of opposing the tyrant.

It was regrettable.

Had he been so ignorant of his power that he neglected it?

He slowly lowered the hand covering his face and opened his eyes.

The parts marked with question marks in the system window gradually faded and then transformed into sentences he had never seen before.

[Mistaken his own mana for an illness. Always careful with his body, fearing that the mana might burst out.]

“……”

* * *

In the end, I was left alone at the dining table.

My mother-in-law stormed out crying, my sister-in-law left after finishing her meal, and my husband suddenly walked out.

“……”

‘……Well, it’s not so bad. It’s quiet, so I can finally enjoy my meal.’

I took a bite of the stew I had intended to give to Alec.

In such an awkward atmosphere, I couldn’t even tell if the food was going into my mouth or nose, but now I could finally taste it.

‘……Delicious.’

It was a table worth the effort.

However, the problem was that this was just my first meal of the day.

After finishing the remaining food, I cleared the dishes.

‘I wish I had the ability to cook exceptionally well.’

If that were the case, I could prepare meals with my eyes closed, and my family would be so happy because the food was delicious.

While washing the dishes thoroughly, I felt a bit of regret.

We couldn’t afford to hire a cook again, as my mother-in-law wished.

It was partly due to financial reasons, but mostly because the tyrant had threatened to kill anyone working for the Duke of Brent.

‘Maybe he just wanted us to hold out miserably and die?’

Which noble family could survive solely on their own?

There are habits and pride built from how we’ve lived until now.

After finishing the cleaning, I stepped out of the kitchen.

Stretching my arms and basking in the sunlight outside.

‘Ah, the weather is nice.’

The wide-open view was so bright and peaceful.

The endless green meadow made it feel like our own paradise.

But somewhere in my mind, the image of my family wanting to eat delicious food kept lingering.

I couldn’t ask Alec to hunt lamb every day.

More than anyone, I wanted to serve him a delicious meal…

‘Oh, right. If we don’t have a cook, I can just buy food from the market, can’t I?’

Why didn’t I think of that?

My face brightened up immediately.

I could buy plenty of good ingredients that are easy to cook with.

I quickly returned to the house and checked the reception room, looking for anything valuable enough to sell.

The landscape painting was too large to carry, so I left it for now. A crystal vase, silver candlesticks…

Yes, the vase and candlesticks would do.

I found some discarded paper and wrapped the vase and candlesticks carefully.

This should be enough to make some money to buy food.

However, without my noticing, something mixed with the air entered my body through my breath.

At some point, my eyes slowly closed, and I lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.

Immediately after Louise fainted, the vase and candlesticks she held floated back to their original places.

* * *

After breakfast.

Alec sat quietly in the room, focusing on the mana within him.

He could feel mana densely packed not just at the center but throughout his entire body.

Having been suppressed for so long, the mana was in a sensitive state.

He had never felt such pure mana even in his previous life.

Alec recalled the information from Alec’s character profile.

[Mistaken his own mana for an illness. Always careful with his body, fearing that the mana might burst out.]

Could that be why?

Had he avoided a proper relationship with his wife because of this?

If he feared his body would tremble due to the mana, it made sense why he couldn’t consummate his marriage.

Even now, just sitting still, he felt the mana roiling inside him. Any significant movement might indeed make it feel like it would burst out.

Given that he mistook mana for a disease, he must have been extra cautious.

Not hunting might have been for a similar reason. Whether using a sword or a gun, any physical shock would be the same.

But now…

‘The owner of this body is different.’

Alec tried to control the chaotic flow of mana within him.

The unregulated state of the mana was pure yet wildly erratic.

It was vast like the universe, with a depth as profound as a lake.

Clear like water, yet so pure it seemed to shimmer with a blue hue.

He needed to grow this mana to a first circle right now.

He had to find out if there really was a ghost in this house.

Detecting and capturing the ghost required him to manifest at least some mana.

Without job skills, he had to rely solely on mana.

He didn’t fully believe the stories about people moving out because of ghosts, but it was better to be prepared.

Alec recalled what the former resident of the house had said.

‘I often lose consciousness suddenly. Especially when trying to move something out of the house.’

Was it a ghost obsessed with the house?

Moving furniture out was a common occurrence, and it wouldn’t do to have it torment his family.

Alec focused more.

He visualized creating a circle in his heart, circulating the mana’s energy.

He had to condense the mana spread throughout his body into one place.

It wasn’t easy.

The sheer amount of mana in his body, and the fact it was his first time drawing it out, made it difficult to control.

Nevertheless, Alec concentrated with all his might.

A ghost.

His thoughts turned to a determination, which then ignited into a more intense resolve to capture the ghost haunting the house.

The mana responded more quickly to his stronger resolve.

Whee. Whirr.

He could feel the mana starting to circle around his heart, forming an oval shape.

But it wasn’t yet a perfect circle. It swirled around in a hazy ring.

‘More. Keep going…’

The mana’s energy moved more grandly and expansively.

He pushed his mana to its limit.

He tried to revive the feeling from his past life when he grew his mana step by step.

The exhilaration of finally seeing light after delving deeper and deeper into seemingly endless clouds.

The sense of achievement when the circle was completed perfectly.

Remembering the times he succeeded in his past life made it relatively easier this time.

The mana circling his heart became clearer.

‘Almost there.’

Alec delved deeper into his mind.

He recalled the first time he completed the first circle in his past life.

The memory of a novice who had no idea how to manage mana.

Compared to then, now he wielded his mana with the experience of a veteran.

His breathing grew heavier. His chest swelled and rose.

His body, which had been sitting still, felt light as if it was floating, enveloping him in an exhilarating and liberating sensation.

Swish.

At some point, he opened his eyes.

In his chest, mana beat like a living heart.

It was as if he had gained a new heart.

Like refining a diamond from raw ore.

Finally, his mana had strengthened to the level of a first circle.

***

Having reached the first circle, Alec checked his status window.

As expected, his level remained unchanged.

Mana did not directly impact leveling up.

However, it allowed for longer and more extensive use of magic-based skills, so it was advantageous to grow it as much as possible.

He opened the status window and saw that skills requiring mana were indeed unlocked.

These were passive skills that didn’t need to be acquired separately.

After verifying, Alec closed the status window.

Now it was time to detect the ghost.

Alec spread his mana throughout the entire mansion.