Capítulo 19: New Organs
"Merlin, thank you, for not only saving me but also giving Liebe a chance too," Licita said, thanking Merlin once again.
"I've already heard enough of your thanks," Merlin said, leaning back in his chair. "You know of Liebe's condition, but do you know what you were just facing?"
"No, but I don't care. Whatever it is, I would still do whatever I can to stop them from taking him away." Licita answered with determination.
'She's just like Acier in that regard.' Merlin thought. He then explained to her the situation regarding Devils, not leaving anything out.
"You're the heir of House Caliban? T-This is my first time seeing a Royal up close…" Licita said, overwhelmed by the amount of information she was just told. "These Devil, they won't stop trying to mess with our world, will they?"
"Of course not. Rather, I'm afraid that they are going to put in more effort than ever before, especially that Lucifero one." Merlin explained. "From what Liebe told me, that Lucifero Devil should be one of the Supreme Devils."
Thinking to herself, Licita clenched her fists, saying, "Can you… protect him?"
Smiling, Merlin reassured her, "Of course, I can, however, who would I be to deprive your only source of happiness here?"
Licita was confused, but then understood Merlin's words. Merlin continued speaking, "I'll leave the Grimoire here and occasionally come to visit. During those times, I might be able to drag him out for a little bit so he can enjoy himself with you. The longer the gap between his manifestations, the longer he can keep himself together."
"That's more than enough!" Licita said, sitting up abruptly from her seat.
"However, there is one little problem. It's your condition." Merlin pointed to her chest, where she was stabbed. "Although I healed you, your new organs that I replaced have to be constantly supplied by a source of Mana to keep functioning. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem, but people use Mana to heal themselves. You, however, steal that Mana and turn it into nothing."
Holding up his palm, Merlin used his spatial magic to summon a pink sphere as petals scattered around his palm. "This is what I call a Mana battery. Although it's still a prototype, I've been trying to develop a device where people can use the store Mana inside to recharge themselves. I never thought that it would be used in this situation."
"One of these should last you at least a month at the rate you're draining the Mana. However, I would still recommend you stay away from large groups of people. Not because of your condition, but for your own well-being." Merlin said, placing the Mana battery in her hands, past the translucent orb surrounding her bed.
Taking it, she felt herself slowly draining the Mana that was within the battery, but the amount that was inside should last for a month, just as Merlin said.
"Before I can develop a more permanent fixture, you'll have to rely on these for now. The reason you were still able to talk until now is that I've been letting you drain the Mana from me."
Licita gave him a thankful gaze, feeling that she would never be able to repay the person in front of her back.
"Why are you doing all of this for us?" She asked.
"Hmm, I wonder?" Merlin said, looking outside the window. "I just find the relationship between you and Liebe to be so pure and devoid of underlying notions, compared to everything else. Besides, this is all quite interesting and fun. I can't wait to see what Liebe brings in the future."
Secre sighed by his side, to which Licita laughed at his reasoning. Merlin then stood up, "We'll be back in a month to visit. Oh, Liebe should be able to hear and see whatever is around the Grimoire, so be sure to keep him company. He seems to get lonely quite quickly. Also, keep this."
Merlin handed her a whistle that was magically enhanced, allowing Merlin to hear it from wherever he was as long as there was Mana near him.
From inside the Grimoire, Liebe was blushing and yelling at Merlin, but none of it was being heard. There was also the fact that Merlin chose to ignore him.
Hugging the Grimoire to her body, Licita nodded. Merlin then went to the door, but asked her, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Licita stared at Merlin's eyes, hesitating. Her thoughts were thrown around in disarray, as the baby she left at a church surfaced in her mind. Gritting her teeth, she shook her head, saying, "No, nothing else. Thank you, for all of yer help."
Merlin stayed for a moment, staring at her, but nodded. 'Whatever she's hiding, if she's unwilling to bring it up, so be it. I just hope that it's the right choice.'
With a last farewell, Merlin and Secre were surrounded by pink flower petals. When a breeze arrived, the petals were scattered and blew past the field and the house. Standing by the door, Licita had a complicated gaze, recounting the entire encounter with Merlin, her and Liebe's saviour.
Hugging the Grimoire to her, she thought that it was better for her son that she left in the church to live away from her, abandoning him. With the state of her body, she would only be killing the baby, and this decision already tore her soul in half. At least, she now had Liebe to accompany her, her adopted son.
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Appearing in the Caliban Estate again, Merlin gave out a sigh of relief, saying, "Man, that was a long day. I can't wait to tell Julius about all of this." With a wave of his staff, Merlin sent a mental message for Julius to come over later in the evening.
Secre glanced at Merlin's slouched figure and asked him, "Didn't you want to know what she was keeping from us?"
Merlin looked Secre from the corner of his eye, saying, "She probably has a good reason for keeping it secret, whatever it is. Well, I think I already have a good idea on her situation."
Secret raised her eyebrows, asking, "What is it then?"
"That's. A. Secret~" Merlin said, raising a finger to his lips, much to her annoyance, leaving Merlin alone in the lounge.
Watching her leave, Merlin closed his eyes, thinking, 'What a cruel fate, having to abandon her own child. Even if abandoned, at least she can still watch over him from a distance. No need for me to get involved in her personal business.'
Staying like this for a while, Merlin thought back to the day when he got rid of the Devil from his home. The Pure Mana form that he took on left him feeling deprived and tired, draining a very large portion of his Mana in just a mere few minutes.
Looking at his hand, Merlin willed his fingers to turn into a state of Pure Mana, a shining translucent shine appeared over it. He could feel his fingers becoming detached, but still attached at the same time, making him feel peculiar.
Using his Mana Eyes, he saw how much Mana he was leaking. 'I'm still not accustomed to this yet, so I'm losing a lot of Pure Mana unnecessarily. I'll need to practice with this more in the future. It will be one of my trump cards if I'm ever forced into a corner.'
Shaking his hand, Merlin turned his fingers back to normal. With a yawn, he got up and left the lounge, yelling out, "Sebastian, get dinner ready. We'll be having a guest!"
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"Alright, give me a moment to absorb all of this." Julius rubbed his head, thinking about what Merlin had just recounted to him.
"You leave for barely half a day, and come back with all of this new information. Not only that, but you found a child Devil that is supposedly pure in nature. Then there's this woman, Licita, who adopted the child. She has a certain condition that makes her steal the Mana and life force of everything around her. Now, the child, Liebe, is sealed in a 5-leaf-clover Grimoire to avoid being tracked by a Supreme Devil named Lucifero."
Pausing, Julius took a drink of his wine. "Did I about summarize it?"
"Basically, yeah," Merlin affirmed him.
"This is all very important information. This makes the situation with the Devils more complicated than I had thought." Julius muttered, thinking of what awaited everyone in the future.
"That's for you to handle, Mr future 'Wizard King' " Merlin said, performing a mock bow.
Julius sighed, but then gave a wide smile with a twinkle in his eyes, saying, "I'm now more interested in that woman. She has a body that steals Mana and life force from everything around her. This has never been seen before. It's not a curse from what you've said, so is it natural? She either had always had that disposition from birth, but the effects must have slowly accumulated over time. Or maybe it suddenly came about."
Merlin smiled, "I know you're excited about that, but your meeting with her will have to wait. Liebe still isn't too trusting of Humans yet, so I wouldn't want to suddenly overwhelm him, even if he is in the Grimoire."
"I understand." Julius pouted, but then perked up, saying, "Say, I'm not sure if you've been informed yet, but there's been word of movement from the Diamond Kingdom recently. It seems they're going to be starting their raids soon."
"The Diamond Kingdom? What do they want this time?" Merlin sighed.
"What don't they want? Gold, jewels, Grimoires, people…" Julius leaned back. "We should be able to handle it, but if something unexpected occurs, I hope to count on you. There's no one else I would place my trust in. He raised his glass up.
Merlin clinked his cup with his, "Of course. You just make sure to be careful out there."
"When am I not? Hahaha." Julius said with a laugh. "Oh! I almost forgot, I never told you about this weird artefact I found in a forest. It was round and strange…"
The rest of the night continued on without much fanfare. By the end of the night, Julius had already left, leaving Merlin alone with his servants. In the library, Secre entered the room.
"Why didn't you tell him about me?" Secre asked.
"Hm?" Merlin glanced at her, then said with a sly grin, "I would prefer to wait for a more opportune moment. Wouldn't he go crazy if he found out that someone from over 500 years ago was still alive to this day? I can't wait to see his shocked face, hahaha."
Secre shook her head. "You're too childish sometimes."
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