The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 404: Learning from past mistakes is the virtue of intellectual beings

Chapter 404: Learning from past mistakes is the virtue of intellectual beings

There’s a reason why intelligent beings started to use tools.

They were useful as an extension of people’s natural power. In a lot of cases, they could amplify people’s power, and make people capable of doing so much more.

And that was why I used Alveitya now, instead of purifying the land with just my body as a medium. One, I found out that using Alveitya’s spear mode concentrated my absorption into one point; the spear’s tip. Just like Amarein taught me, it was safer, and I could control the amount coming into my body better.

Right; like drinking using a straw--however ridiculous it might sound.

Second, I could stash the purified elemental mana inside the green stone embedded in Alveitya. Ideally, I shouldn’t release the purified elemental mana into the environment before I was completely done purifying it. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to purify a place this big--and this corrupted--in one day without risking my health, so I wouldn’t be able to release the purified mana right away.

I couldn’t just let the elemental mana hover around me for two or more days, so I needed a place to keep it safe for the time being. Not inside my body, unless I wanted to feel bloated from the overload of mana. And so, Alveitya came as an answer.

This time, I did not use it as a tool of Judgment, but as a medium of my power.

Slowly, steadily, I could feel a sickening mana that made me nauseous. I already expected this, however, since the condition was worse than the time I did it on the airship and the forest village. But my condition was also way better than that time, so I could bear it. It only felt as nauseating as bad teleportation magic, and besides...I knew it would only feel like this at the start.

Well, at least until this tar-like center all got absorbed.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to steady the stream of corrupted mana. Closing my eyes, I focused on nothing but the circulation of mana inside my body, trusting everything to my reliable bodyguards. I intentionally avoid looking at the field itself to prevent myself from checking on the progression. If I did so, I was afraid I would unconsciously make a target; that I needed to absorb until this much or that much.

But that kind of thinking would put a burden on my mind, and if that unconscious target wasn’t fulfilled, I would inevitably try hard to fulfill it, even if it was past my capacity.

So I decided to ignore that and just focus on myself; at how much my body could take. I kept reminding myself that this wasn’t a sprint, but a marathon. I should do just enough so I could come back refreshed and not be exhausted the next day.

In the end, this had become a test for my self-control too. To keep calm. To not be greedy. To keep everything steady. Not too fast, and not too slow.

As corrupted mana came into my system, my body had to process and separate the substance; sending the purified elemental mana to Alveitya, and keeping the corruption inside me. This corruption was the tar I vomited in the airship and the forest.

But that was then.

Back then, I wasn’t healed yet. My soul, which heavily constructed my mana core, was still cracked. My gate was still half-blocked, and my circuits were still under repair. My body, although capable of purifying mana, was incapable of doing the other thing; destroying the corruption. That tar-like substance.

But now? Now I was whole and fully healed. My body was now capable of battling this corruption and crushing it inside my own system so it wouldn’t pollute the environment again.

That was essentially what I was doing again and again. As my left hand absorbed the polluted mana that getting absorbed by Alveitya, my core was making two pathways; one leading back to Alveitya’s core through my right hand, and one keeping the corruption in a cage where I battled it to oblivion.

I had no idea how much time had passed. Just like before, time became relative during absorption and purification. If people who didn’t know looked at me, they might think I was sleeping while standing, all while being guarded by a legendary Salamander and magical elemental bird.

But finally, the nauseous feeling turned into bloating. Just like how my body would feel after I ate and drank too much. It was a sign that I should stop soon, so I slowed down the absorption rate until it stagnated. I still stood for a while to process what had been absorbed before I stopped, and only after I was done with that batch did I open my eyes.

And burped.

Ugh--thank Mother there was no one else but my companions there. Wouldn’t look so dignified and cool anymore if other people heard that, would it?

[Master! Master done? Master can hear Jade again?]

I looked up and smiled instead of answering, raising my arm as a signal for Jade to come down. Perhaps not wanting to burden me, Jade turned into a little bird again, and instantly nuzzled my cheek.

[Master good job!]

"Thank you, baby."

"Good job," I heard Ignis muttered behind me. "Seems like you’re not throwing up."

"I told you it’ll be different this time!" I pursed my lips. Although...I had to pat my stomach as a sensation of indigestion started to assault me. "Ugh--still need to sit down, though."

"That’s normal," Ignis stomped its way to my side, flicking its tail to my leg as if telling me to sit on its flaming back. "You’ve been standing for so long."

Well, the flame wouldn’t burn me, though, so I gladly did. Ahh...it felt good to sit down again. I looked up at the sky and realized it had changed color. Was it the effect of the environment, or had I been doing it until the afternoon?

Phew--no wonder my legs were stiff.

Lounging on Ignis’s back while stroking the Salamander’s head, I swept my gaze around the field. Of course, it hadn’t returned its vigor since I still hadn’t spread the purified mana back to the environment. But the most important was...

"Oh! The center had actually gone!"

The most troublesome thing was over! Whew...it was me, but...I could praise myself a little bit, right? Hmm! Good job, Val! You’re doing such a good job!

The place hadn’t fully purified, but the black center that seemed to be capable of throwing out a corrupted beast any second was no longer there. Now, what was left was the leftover toxic air--kind of similar to what I encountered in the Demon Realm.

"I think we can finish before lunch tomorrow, and be done with the appeasing ritual in the afternoon. It would look nice if I released the purified mana right after, and then--"

"Vaaal!"

Before I could finish my musing, I was tackled from behind by Zarfa, who immediately jumped out again.

"Aagh! Hot! Hot!"

"Foolish human..." Ignis shook its head.

"Pfft--what are you doing jumping into a Salamander?" I couldn’t help but chuckle as Zarfa jumped around while patting her coat.

"B-but you’re sitting on it..." she whined. It was fortunate that her coat had elemental resistance, or she might get burned for real.

"I’m contracted to Ignis; of course, I won’t get burned."

Zarfa was still grumbling, so I shifted my attention to the other. As expected, Fatia and Jin came along, while Aina wittingly waited at the edge with the Regent. I reckoned they put Ian to guard the Regent while the other came to check on me.

"Are you alright?" the Hero asked.

"As you can see," I shrugged. "Just a bit tired from standing up for so long."

Fatia, meanwhile, was looking at the field with unblinking eyes that slowly getting blurred by tears. She looked at me then, and I instinctively raised my hand to stop her from coming closer.

"Stay where you are, unless you want to get burned like Zarfa too."

She stopped after only a half-step, and then fell to the ground, burying her face in her hand. "Thank you!" I could hear a muffled voice filled with tears. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Oh. I appreciated that she didn’t say something like ’Oh, Goddess’ again, or I would get offended. If she wanted to praise anyone, she should praise Mother in this stance, shouldn’t she?

Anyway...

"It’s not over yet," I told her. "The worst had been avoided, but I still need to purify the air and do that appeasing ritual. Hopefully...they won’t be too stubborn tomorrow."

Fatia let out a sound that seemed to be a mix of crying and laughing. When he raised her head, she was smiling widely, even though her cheeks were wet with tears.

"Thank you," she said again, and I could see the sincerity in her teary eyes.

Honestly, I felt kind of guilty.

Rubbing Alveitya on my lap, I looked at her to remind her of the nature of this transaction. "Save your gratitude for your part of the contract," I reminded her. "Don’t forget that I’m not doing this for free."

She chuckled and nodded. "Of course, I won’t."

Fatia stood up and her smile this time was devoid of the wariness and anxiety she had been harboring since we met--no, perhaps since she embarked on this journey to find a cure for her land.

"Still, thank you...Sir Valen."

Well...I guessed...it wasn’t so bad, this feeling of gratitude.

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