My original magic

   Over the past two months, I’ve been working to uncover the secrets of my own body. With the help of Zephyra’s advanced technology and the documentation taken from the facility, some startling discoveries came to light. 

   I already knew that they made some weird stuff to my body, but what I discovered exceeded all my expectations. Practically all my internal organs got swapped with someone else’s.

   As the result, I’d gained stronger physical abilities and the sharpened senses of beastmen. I also can use magic thanks to a genetically modified Aether Core—an organ present in all beings in this world for mana storage and conversion. The structure of mine suggested it originally belonged to an elf.

   At first, I was thinking positively. I could use magic after all. But the reality was far more complicated... 

   My Aether Core, though incredibly efficient, wasn’t perfectly compatible with the demonic manatic system of veins running through my body. As Zephyra once explained, here’s how it works: the brain visualizes a spell, sends that information to the Aether Core, which then draws out the necessary amount of mana and sends it through veins to glands. These glands release the mana into the air, forming a magic circle to cast the spell.

   In my case? Things weren’t so smooth.

   My Aether Core processed spells at a rate four times faster than it should. That might sound cool—four times the power—but as the result the mana coursing through my veins was also flowing four times faster than those could handle. In other words, my manatic system was like an overworked power grid on the verge of a explosion.

   During my rampage in the forest, my veins had been just one step away from rupturing entirely. The damage would’ve been catastrophic, maybe even irreversible. Even healing magic wouldn’t be able to fix me at that point.

   In simple words: Casting magic by myself might kill me.

   That’s where Zephyra’s technological genius came to the rescue. She developed an artifact in form of cards. She called it Arcana. Thanks to the special nano chip she installed in my brain, these cards could read my brainwaves, interpret the spell I was visualizing, and generate a magic circle automatically on itself. The card would then absorb mana directly from me to activate the spell. It was like having a personal spellcasting assistant in the palm of my hand.

   Although the journey to control my power was difficult, the combined methods gave me hope. With time, I was finally beginning to feel like I could handle the overwhelming potential within me.

* * *

   The teleportation landed us gently on the soft grass of the park. I took a moment to steady myself, the residual dizziness from the spell fading as I looked around. It was quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the trees above us. I straightened up and brushed off the grass clinging to my pants, glancing over at the others to assess the aftermath of our abrupt exit from the pastry shop.

   I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. If I hadn’t acted when I did, things could be really bad. Luna’s hand had already been twitching toward her blade, if I hadn’t reacted before her, she would have cut that guy’s tongue... The thought alone sent a chill through me.

   “Is everyone okay?” I asked, turning to the rest.

   Luna was as composed as ever, standing with her back straight and her maid uniform looking as pristine as always. “We’re used to it, Master.” 

   Bel, ever the bundle of enthusiasm, wagged his tail slightly and grinned. “Yeah, big brother! That was fun!”

   “I think... I think I’m going to throw up,” Lilith muttered weakly, her crimson eyes half-closed. She was hunched over slightly, her face paler than earlier, clutching her stomach as though she’d just stepped off the world’s most violent roller coaster.

   “So all is well, then,” I said, turning my attention back to the grass beneath my feet as if her nausea wasn’t my problem.

   “Excuse me?! Aren’t you even a little concerned for me?! I am the closest candidate to becoming the next head of the Vermillion clan, you know?!”

   I let out a small sigh, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my face. “Sorry, but for some reason seeing you makes me irritated. I hope you understand.”

   “How do you want me to understand that?!”

   Before she could say anything more, Luna stepped forward.

   “Master, should we inform Lady Zephyra about what just happened?”

   Lilith’s eyes widened slightly, her irritation giving way to curiosity. “Zephyra? You mean Aunt Zephyra?”

   “Hm?” I looked at her confused.

   The words caught me off guard. Aunt Zephyra? I blinked, processing her statement. Then it clicked—the Naberius and Vermillion clans had a long-standing alliance. It wasn’t surprising that she’d know Zephyra.

   “Wait,” Lilith pressed, her gaze shifting between us. “Who are you guys, anyway?”

   “Now you are asking?!” I said, confused.

   I really can’t deal with her.

   I exchanged a glance with Luna and Bel before deciding to give her the full picture. “My name is Noah Naberius,” I began, meeting her crimson eyes with a calm expression. “And this is Zephyra’s assistant and my companion, Bel.” I placed a hand on Bel’s shoulder, and he gave a cheerful wave, his tail wagging slightly behind him. “And this is my maid,” I gestured toward Luna, who gave a graceful bow, “Her name is, Lunaria.”

   Lilith tilted her head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I have to admit. I was wondering why she was wearing a maid’s outfit. But now it all makes sense.”

   She leaned back slightly, tapping a finger to her chin as though she was piecing together a puzzle. Her expression shifted as something seemed to click in her mind.

   “Wait, so you are Aunt Zephyra’s long lost son?!”

   I raised an eyebrow. “Well, yeah.”

   At least that is the official statement…

   Lilith studied me for a moment before adding, “From the way Aunt Zephyra wrote about you in messages, though, I must admit I pictured someone... different.”

   I tilted my head. “Different? How so?”

   “Well… She usually complained how you have no respect to her, so I assumed you were some sort of an annoying brat.”

   Oi!

   Now that I think about it, she was messaging to someone from time to time, during dinner. So it was her, huh… But wait, was she seriously complaining on me during dinner, when I was sitting literally next to her?!

   “Also...” Lilith’s voice pulled me back to the moment.

   “Is there anything more?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly at her hesitation.

   “…Apparently, you are a hidden pervert, who likes big breasts a lot.”

   “...”

   …As soon as I see that witch again, I’ll give her a decent blow on the head!!!

   Just then, Luna interjected, her voice calm and completely earnest. “That’s not true. Master is not a hidden pervert at all.”

   Thanks, Luna! I knew a can count on you—

   “He just likes big breasts,” she added, her tone matter-of-fact.

   “Wait, wait, wait! Luna, what are you talking about?!”

   Luna blinked at me, her head tilting in genuine confusion. “But Master,” she said, her expression so innocent it was almost angelic, “you’re always looking at mine, when you think I can’t see.”

   She noticed?! 

   I couldn’t believe my ears. My mind was spinning like a top as I tried to figure out when Luna might have caught me looking.

   Lilith smirked at me, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “I see, I see. You’re a man after all—”

   “Okay, that’s enough,” I said, cutting her off sharply. “Let’s focus, please.” I turned toward Lilith, hoping to steer the conversation back to the issue at hand. “I’m assuming your problem has something to do with that idiot?”

   Lilith’s smirk faded into a more serious expression, and she nodded. “You’re right.”

   She went on to explain. “His name is Liam Silverbane, the first-born son of the Silverbane family, who is in charge of one of the two sub-territories on the north side of Vermillion territory. Their company, Silverbane Holdings, owns more than 50% of the stores throughout Vermillion territory. One day, my father received a letter from Magnus Silverbane, Liam’s father, proposing a marriage between Liam and me.”

   I will explain. Each of the 13 territories in the realm is governed by one of the 13 great noble clans. Due to their vast size, each territory is divided into smaller administrative regions called sub-territories. The main clan resides in the capital—named after the territory itself—and oversees the work of the families managing the sub-territories. Silverbane controls one such sub-region within Vermillion territory.

   I frowned, catching on quickly. “Sounds like a ploy to get a foothold in the clan.”

   “Exactly,” Lilith confirmed. “At first, my father wanted to reject the proposal outright, but then they made a threat: if we refused, they’d pull their entire family and all their stores out of Vermillion territory. It would be an economic disaster for us, one we might not recover from. For now, my father is stalling as best as he can, but it won’t be long before he has no choice but to give in.”

   Bel’s ears drooped slightly. “That’s not fair.”

   “I know, buddy. It’s not fair.” I reached over and gently patted Bel’s head, trying to reassure him. “But I have to say that he really has guts or is just plain stupid, since he decided to threaten one of 13 clans”

   Lilith continued, “Probably both. But it doesn’t change the fact that our situation doesn’t look good.”

   “True. Especially, since if the marriage becomes official, that brat from earlier becomes a head of Vermillion clan. That might cause problems on our side in the future too.”

   Lilith’s gaze sharpened. “So… Will you help me?”

   “I might,” I replied, pulling my phone out of my pocket. “But I’ll need some help to make it happen.”

   I dialed a number and waited as the line rang. 

   "Hello?" A familiar voice answered on the other end.

   “Hi, It’s me. Do you have a moment?”