章 32: Chapter 32: Primal Rune - Recovery
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Alfia had considered many possibilities, but she never imagined that Sol would invite her to join his Familia.
"My time is running out, so perhaps I'll accept your offer in the next life," she replied.
"Maybe I have a way to cure that troublesome illness of yours. Would that change your mind?"
"You might not realize—the illness I suffer from isn't a typical terminal disease. Even Hera-sama couldn't cure it."
Alfia wasn't sure why she said that. Perhaps Sol's offer had sparked a faint hope within her—a deep, human desire to live.
"Just because Hera couldn't cure it doesn't mean I can't. How about giving my method a try? If it works, consider joining my Familia."
At that moment, Sol resembled an eccentric older man offering candy to a child, hoping to win her over. But to gain Alfia's formidable strength, Sol was willing to put his pride aside.
When the Continent of Valoran was created, he had set his sights on this remarkable talent.
"Consider it, if only to humor a god in a dull moment," he added.
Sol's unshakable confidence wavers Alfia. There was something about his demeanor that made one instinctively trust him.
With her time nearly gone, Alfia didn't mind spending a few extra minutes. If it failed, she had little left to lose.
"Why me?" she asked. "If you have the power to cure such illnesses, couldn't you also have helped Zald with his condition?"
"Because you two aren't the same," Sol replied thoughtfully. "You still have something tying you to this world."
His expression softened with a hint of nostalgia. "I remember he took a boy with him when he left Orario. Don't you want to see how that boy grows up?"
"...Such an astute god," Alfia acknowledged, her tone conceding. Sol's perceptiveness spoke volumes; it was clear he had already uncovered much of her past. She decided to own up to it.
"Thank you for the compliment. So, would you reconsider my offer? I'm willing to wait for your answer."
"If your method truly works, I will join your Familia—but on one condition: I will help guide that boy as he grows."
"As long as it doesn't harm my Familia's interests, I won't interfere in the affairs of my children."
"And what will you do?" Alfia asked softly, her response hinting at acceptance. Everything depended on whether her illness could be controlled; without that, any agreement was meaningless.
"I'll take that as a yes, then."
Sol's lips curved into a slight smile; his long-laid plans had finally succeeded.
To him, Alfia's outward coolness was a mere facade. Her true vulnerability lay in the guilt she felt toward her sister, whose talent Alfia believed she had unintentionally stolen.
Since childhood, she hadn't been able to meet her sister's gaze, and when her sister passed away, she had shifted that sense of duty to Bell.
Bell had become her weakness, making her far easier to sway than someone like Zald.
"I'm only offering you an opportunity. Whether it succeeds or not depends entirely on your own fate."
Sol held out his hand, and a vibrant green rune materialized in his palm.
The rune radiated with vitality; it was a primal rune, a rune of recovery.
Although the continent of Valoran was still evolving, its fundamental structure was already in place, and as its creator, Sol held dominion over the primordial runes that underpinned it.
As the rune released its life force, Alfia felt an unexpected wave of energy resonate through her body.
"What is this?" she asked, surprised. Even during her time in the Hera Familia, she'd never encountered anything like it. For the first time, she felt that her illness might actually be manageable.
"This is a primal rune—the recovery rune of the Vitality System, you might call it the world's cornerstone made manifest."
"A primal rune? Can I even accept something so valuable?"
With her survival seemingly within reach, Alfia hesitated. A primal rune, a cornerstone of the world, was almost beyond comprehension. The purity of its life force alone proved its power.
Although she was confident in her own abilities, next to something like this, she felt insignificant.
"Don't worry," Sol reassured her. "That world belongs to me. I consider it more than worthwhile to use a primal rune to save a true genius."
"It feels as though I've stumbled onto some tremendous secret," she murmured.
"Ah, then you'll keep it for me, won't you?"
"Such a burden of trust," she replied with a faint smile. "But rest assured, I'll keep your secret."
She couldn't tell how much sincerity lay behind his words, but the trust Sol showed her lifted her spirits. The appearance of the rune seemed to bring new life to her weary heart.
She hadn't dared dream of this—survival, a chance to witness her nephew's future with her own eyes.
"But a word of caution," Sol added. "Generally, I let my children absorb the rune's power gradually. But directly merging with a primal rune could be overwhelming."
"In other words, it's risky," she said, understanding the gravity of his warning.
"The risk is considerable. Even the gentler recovery rune holds immense power. Riveria, a level-six magister in my Familia, hasn't fully harnessed a rune's power yet. So, would you like to try it now?" Sol's tone was calm as he held the rune out before her.
The decision was entirely hers.
Yet, Alfia felt as if there were only one choice: risk fusion and live, or decline and die.
Sol knew she had no option to refuse, so he had no qualms about revealing his secrets. She had nowhere to turn.
"Of course, I will succeed!"
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