Free Web NovelChapter 5: To Meet The Baronesses
The screen appread once again this time I realized this was real.
Knowledge flooded in and I could visualize it.
A flickering beam of light harboured in a single man, passed down from offspring to offspring.
It was a seed, but without the right condition it didn’t sprout.
That flickering light was made of Mana — the very fuel of magic — a tiny dormant mana core, which gave the one born with it the ability to wield mana.
It was passed down to me and I fully unlocked it, meeting the condition.
Intimacy with another active mana soul, someone with active mana. That person was Mell.
My Mana soul adapted to my partner’s genes.
With that I became Dragon Potent.
Life seemed to slow as I slowly realized the sickles were still traveling to my neck, slowly and slowly.
’No, I know...’
But how did I know? Buried in the tiny seed was knowledge — transcendent, omnipotent — about the skills I knew in detail.
[Absorb.]
[Adapt.]
[Amplify.]
The three edges of my triangle.
My lips curled into a wicked smile. Despite the incoming attack, the stubs where my hands had been, began to glow, as my soul adapted to the attack.
[Adapt: Severing Magic (B rank)]
[90% Damage reduction]
[Absorb: Severing Magic]
Swoosh. The two sickles sliced at my neck, but what should have taken my head ended up as just a shallow cut.
Still fatal, but due to the previous attack my soul had adapted, making each attack weaker than the last till it was rather ineffective on me anymore.
Also absorbing the attack, to store and amplify for release — the full cycle of my magic.
The lady’s eyes narrowed on me. "That should’ve taken your head," she muttered, which made me laugh.
I was completely soaked in crimson.
Darkness bled into my vision. Before my consciousness went out, I stretched my hand to her.
I shut my eyes, focusing on the magic I had absorbed, amplifying it.
[Amplify: Severing Magic (B rank)]
[+110% Damage]
Mana amplified: (A rank)
My Mana flare in response.
When I opened my eyes back, she stepped away slowly, her earlier arrogance replaced with confusion.
"How can you use mana?"
"Cause I’m... Dragon Potent." freēwebnovel.com
I released the attack. A grid formed from mana, flashed to life — their thin light sharper than a blade.
It shot towards her faster than she could react.
Her face twisted in horror. And it was my time to be entertained by her fear.
My magic carved into her skin, about to turn her into nothing but cubes.
Then she vanished. My magic cleaved at nothing, eventually colliding with the wall.
Boom. The wall broke apart, sliced into stone cubes.
Dust billowed in, the moonlight spilled through the hole in the wall.
As the dust settled.
I froze in position, arms still stretched out, as I stared at where she had been.
It instantly registered. She had tortured me, cut off both my arms. But now I thought I had her. She fled.
My jaw tightened. Bit**... the word slipped out, the world tilted and I crashed to the ground, still bleeding.
If I didn’t get anything done I would die.
But I still had a chance. Using my Adapt ability, I attempted to adapt to the blood loss, using my Mana reserve from my awakening.
Starting the process now was bit late. By the time I can fully adapt, the blood loss would have already killed me.
My only hope was if anyone found me before I died. For now, adapting only slowed my death.
My body grew colder. Over and over I struggled to keep my eyes open.
’Why hadn’t anyone arrived — didn’t they sense her magic?’
I lamented, but caught myself.
I couldn’t even sense her mana looking at her. She was also an anomaly.
The only time I sensed her mana was when she released those attacks. So I read the mana signature.
Finally, just about to give up the ghost, hurried footsteps rushed to where I was lying flat on the ground.
They rushed into the wine cellar, already with their mana active, flaring around them.
Quickly seeing the condition I was presently in, one of them — a maid — dropped to her knees by my side, ignoring her dress getting stained.
Her hands over me, her Mana surrounded me.
A calming, refreshing feeling settled over me.
Aria then walked through the crowd of guards and maids present.
She said some words to me, but I couldn’t hear them. My half-lidded eyes finally shut completely.
Not even a night had passed. And I went through all this.
’Cursed Dragons.’
---
Days passed, or so it felt, staying unconscious.
I didn’t know how long time had passed.
My eyes peeled open to the sunlight spilling through the curtains.
The tester was also parted. I stared at nothing before rubbing my half-lidded eyes, sitting up, keeping my back rested on the headboard.
"What a relief, you’re awake."
Aria was seated close to my bed, her both hands clasped on her lap.
She had changed her dress to some ruffle-hem emerald dress.
She was visibly worried, but seeing me awake brought some relief.
Her scaly tail coiled in the air.
My mind was a little muddled so I couldn’t understand why she was actually worried about me.
"What happened after the house tour, did I faint during the—"
Then I gasped, landing on my hand.
Then it all came back. It replayed in my head.
The copper-haired dragon that had tried to kill me.
The last moment of her vanishing away.
I frowned, flexing my wrist. Thankfully my hand didn’t hurt.
"The healers did their best to heal your hands.
But it’s actually thanks to you — we don’t know how you did it.
But despite the blood lost, your body didn’t fail."
I then remembered my awakening also.
My last-minute idea to adapt, to slow my body from degrading.
I faced Aria properly — this, this I could see: her mana around her.
I could also sense the mana of the two guards outside the door.
Everything that possessed mana was easily detected now I had awakened.
But how did she do that? Why didn’t I sense her mana?
Why didn’t anyone sense her mana? It felt too plain.
Immediately I got into the cellar. She lunged.
I turned to Aria. Something was wrong but I couldn’t prove it.
"Amor, here."
Aria then took a bowl of fruits, setting it before me.
"Can you please describe the look of who tried to attack?"
"She looked like a dragon but horn instead of halo. Copper hair, scales at the bridge of her nose."
"Halo? Likely they were using magic to change their look."
"How easy is that?"
"It’s a very difficult magic to perform.
In the whole kingdom, the only people who have the potential to learn such are the baronesses, and me.
With the sole exception of the queen of course — it would be trivial for her.
But there’s no way she’d try to kill— so she’s off the table."
I kept my eyes on the bowl, the apples, the grapes.
I didn’t pick one.
Someone was trying to kill me. For all I know this bowl of fruit might be poisoned.
"I’m not eating." I pushed the fruits aside.
"How am I not sure you’re the one who tried to kill me?"
"You can trust me, it’s not poisoned."
Aria tried to offer the fruit back but I didn’t accept it.
She then picked an apple from the bowl and bit it.
She chewed and swallowed, offering the half-eaten apple.
"And besides, I owe full loyalty to the queen.
If she believes you’re our cure, I’ll follow her.
I can’t actually say the same about baronesses."
I looked at her, then the apple, still skeptical to collect the apple, but eager to know more.
"Why?"
"If you want to know more, take it — you need your strength back."
She offered the apple once more.
I collected it from her, then took a bite, chewed, but I didn’t swallow yet.
"Now tell me why you suspect the baronesses."
"Simple — the queen killed their lord, the former barons of the twelve houses."
"So for what reason?"
"The queen doesn’t need a reason to kill who she deems worthless."
I didn’t fully believe her words.
I could tell it was half truth.
The queen couldn’t just kill them because she deemed them useless.
There was rather a conspiracy hidden, but that wasn’t my problem now.
"So the baronesses — they agreed. With no way to get back at the queen, they decided to kill me, the queen’s supposed cure?"
"Yes, exactly. Because the mission would need an insider. No one outside of the royal table knows about you."
"Also if the person attacked just as you’re brought into the mansion, it’s not a coincidence."
"That makes sense.
But if you were watching me you should have seen them when they came for me — and don’t lie, you were watching me."
"It was ordered from the queen. I was watching as the guards alerted me you left the room. I watched you using magic, but when I saw you take the turn into the cellar I didn’t worry anymore since no one was in the wine cellar before you arrived."
"So the person arrived after."
Aria nodded.
Her eyes then dart away from me like she having second thoughts.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"If they used teleportation magic, with mana suppression also alter their look... it wasn’t a single man job. At least two people."
"Two...? Hmm." I sat down in thought.
If the enemies were people close, then the fight wasn’t worth it for now, considering the number of baronesses.
I wouldn’t stand a chance, even if the queen wouldn’t allow such— she can’t be there to protect me.
Still, it’s also a perfect opportunity.
If I can win the trust or respect of the baronesses, instead of heading for outright revenge, grabbing my father’s land from the queen will be much easier.
I could even learn some magic passed down from each house.
But how can I do such, when that girl tried to kill— she spoke about tainting bloodline.
Then an idea struck.
Knowledge gotten from my dragon-potent ability suggested my genes actually adapt to the dragons, not only that but strengthen it, evolving the gene further, stronger.
That means the more I breed with— dragons keep the genes intact, even strengthening it.
I wasn’t going to taint it — that’s the message I had to make clear.
"Aria, how many baronesses are there in the twelve houses?"
"Twelve. The barons didn’t have multiple wives. That’s why it’s actually hard to suspect someone in particular out of those twelve."
"Can you arrange a meetup? I want to speak to them."
Aria raised an eyebrow.
She looked at me, stunned at the sudden arrangement.
"You haven’t rested enough, and the queen is planning on visiting today. You should probably wait for her visit before we could hold a meetup."
"No." I pushed the bed sheet off my body, swinging out of bed.
"I want to meet them now. It’s urgent."
Aria stared with a knowing look on her face.
I didn’t know what that was for, but afterwards she got up from her seat.
"As you wish, Amor."
She bowed her head before exiting the room.
