The Heart of the Flying Crimson

Mana Stones formed when excess mana crystallized inside monsters. They could be used as fuel, but their mana was impure and unstable. Alchemical Refinement removed the impurities, creating Mana Cores whose purity depended on the Alchemist’s skill and technique.

“H-H-How is ninety-five percent possible?!” Skayla asked, brimming with curiosity. “I heard the current record for Mana Core purity was only eighty-five percent!”

“Do you mind providing us with a soundproof barrier?” Klarisa requested.

Skayla stepped back, pulled her staff from her item box, and gave it a quick twirl before beginning her chant.

“Let no wandering ears hear our words. Let no wandering eyes read our lips. By my will, let no sound escape. Silent Veil!”

Skayla lightly tapped the bottom of her staff against the ground, causing a grey veil to form around them.

“Done! Now spill it,” she demanded, storing her staff inside her item box.

“The technique used to refine the SS-Rank Mana Stone came from the Age of Chaos!” Klarisa revealed excitedly. “The ancient technique is called Katharos, which means ‘pure’ in the ancient script.”

“WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON IT?!” Skayla shouted.

“Well...” Klarisa awkwardly scratched her cheek. “Alex discovered an old metal chest on the beach after I kicked him out of the house following a rather large argument.”

“Oh?” Lina muttered, placing her hand on her sword. “It wasn’t about infidelity, was it?”

“Do you really think Alex would still be alive if he had cheated on me?” Klarisa asked as an ominous glint appeared in her eyes.

“Point taken,” Lina said, lowering her hand. “What did that moron do?”

“H-He wanted you to become Ceto and Eurybia’s godmother,” Klarisa revealed.

“Eh?” Lina blinked. “Me? Why?”

“Yeah, why her?!” Skayla protested. “Lina made those angels cry while we were watching them! Why does she get to be their godmother and not me?!”

“Alex said that if you became their godmother, he could rest in peace if anything ever happened to him,” Klarisa explained. “The way he said it sounded so ominous that we started arguing... and I kicked him out.”

“That dumbass,” Lina sighed. “Sorry, but I can’t become their godmother. I’ve been banished from Eldoria, remember?”

“That’s completely understandable,” Klarisa assured her. “You were always busy commanding your Order anyway, so I never wanted to add another responsibility.”

Skayla suddenly stepped forward and grasped Klarisa’s hands.

“IN THAT CASE, I FORMALLY ACCEPT THE POSITION OF CETO AND EURYBIA’S GODMOTHER!” Skayla proudly announced. “I WILL NOT ALLOW BANISHMENT TO KEEP ME FROM SEEING MY GODCHILDREN! EVEN IF I HAVE TO FIGHT MY WAY THROUGH THE ROYAL GUARD!”

Klarisa’s face turned pale as she imagined Skayla fighting her way into the Kingdom to visit the twins.

“That means you’d have to fight Queen Seraphine too,” Lina warned.

“ON SECOND THOUGHT, I’LL BE THEIR GODMOTHER FROM AFAR!” Skayla corrected herself.

Klarisa laughed at Skayla’s sudden change of heart.

“Okay, let’s get back on track,” Lina said, chuckling. “We don’t have all day to stand around laughing.”

“After I kicked Alex out, he went for a walk along the beach to cool off,” Klarisa continued. “Several hours later, he returned soaked in seawater, covered in sand, and holding a metal chest above his head while shouting that he had found buried treasure. So I had the head butler spray him down near the horse stable.” 

Lina and Skayla stared at her, realizing Klarisa was scarier than they’d thought.

“Once he was clean, he tried every tool he could find to crack the chest open,” Klarisa said. “When none worked, he chose the next best thing... his sword. The blade bounced back and hit him in the forehead, but the impact cracked the chest open.”

“Inside the chest were two ancient journals and a blue Mana Core no larger than a grape,” Klarisa continued. “Alex and my father were disappointed the chest didn’t contain any gold or silver, so they went straight to bed.”

“I told you! Greedy merchants!” Skayla shouted.

“One of the journals was written in an unknown script, so I contacted Queen Seraphine for assistance,” Klarisa continued. “She arrived with several scholars who discovered that it contained the Katharos refinement technique. The grape-sized Mana Core was a sample created through that method, and it also had a purity of ninety-five percent. “I believed the letter you two were supposed to bring was a follow-up on our production contract.”

“What does the Royal Family have to do with the production of Mana Cores?” Skayla asked.

“Due to how valuable this technique is, the Royal Family is personally handling the production and sale of any Mana Cores created with it,” Klarisa said with a smile.

“You really know how to pass responsibility onto someone else,” Skayla teased. “Right, Lina?”

“The Age of Chaos...” Lina muttered. “Where have I heard that before?”

“What’s wrong?” Skayla asked.

“Ah... nothing,” Lina replied, shaking her head. “It’s probably nothing.”

Skayla gave her a concerned look before turning toward the Flying Crimson and examining it again with Mana Sight.

“Still... something doesn’t make sense,” Skayla said. “If the Mana Core is ninety-five percent pure, why is it releasing such volatile mana? Shouldn’t a purer Core be more stable?”

She turned toward Klarisa.

“And shouldn’t you be hiding its presence? At this point, you’re announcing the ship’s location to every living thing above and below the sea.”

Klarisa let out a long sigh and pressed one hand against her forehead.

“What you’re seeing is only the residual mana escaping after the Core’s output has been heavily suppressed,” she revealed.

“EH?! REALLY?!” Skayla shouted. 

“The Core is housed inside a reinforced dual-layer chamber designed to contain and conceal its mana,” Klarisa explained. “Even that isn’t strong enough to stop some of the pressure from leaking out.”

“THAT’S RIDICULOUS!” Skayla exclaimed. “How did you stabilize something that powerful enough to use it aboard a ship?”

“Well...” Klarisa awkwardly scratched her cheek before glancing toward Lina.

“What?” Lina asked suspiciously.

Klarisa explained the strange events surrounding the Flying Crimson’s construction.

When the Mana Core was first installed, its violent mana destroyed the ship’s power unit and conduits. Even after the system was rebuilt with reinforced materials, the Core remained dangerously unstable.

The original figurehead had also been destroyed, so Alex’s rejected carving of Lina was installed temporarily for the test voyage. To everyone’s surprise, the Mana Core stabilized the moment Lina’s likeness was attached to the bow.

When they replaced the carving with the repaired original figurehead, the Core became violently unstable again and nearly sank the ship. The shipwrights put Alex’s carving back, and the Core has remained stable ever since.

“BWAHAHAHA!” Skayla burst into laughter. “YOU’RE TELLING ME LINA’S FACE STABILIZED THE ENTIRE SHIP?!”

“Essentially,” Klarisa admitted, trying not to laugh herself. “Alex and I later took the Flying Crimson on its maiden voyage to Asteria. The journey took only three days instead of the usual week.”

“OOOO! Let me guess,” Skayla said, grinning. “You didn’t encounter a single sea monster the whole way!”

“Wait... how did you know?” Klarisa asked.

“The sea monsters probably saw Lina’s face on the bow and fled for their lives!” Skayla said, bursting into laughter again.

“THAT’S NOT FUNNY!” Lina shouted. She smacked Skayla across the back with a loud SMACK!, sending her tumbling to the ground, then stormed out of the veil.

Klarisa knelt beside Skayla, who lay sprawled on the ground, still examining the ship with Mana Sight.

“Okay... what’s the real reason sea monsters avoid this ship?” Klarisa asked.

“Probably the Mana Core,” Skayla answered. “Its mana pressure is so violent and aggressive that any sea monster with decent instincts would rather flee than approach it.”

“I see... fight or flight,” Klarisa muttered. “Then how do you explain the figurehead?”

Skayla sat up and watched Lina board the ship through Mana Sight.

“This is only a theory, but I think the SS-Rank Mana Stone still contains a fragment of the King Goliath Tusk Boar’s soul,” she said.

“Is that possible?” Klarisa asked. “I’ve never heard of a Mana Stone containing a soul.”

“I read an old book that claimed Mana Stones from centuries-old monsters could retain fragments of their souls. That might explain why this Core is still so violent despite its purity.”

Skayla focused on the purple waves surrounding the ship.

“Whenever Lina boards, the mana waves weaken by more than eight percent,” Skayla said. “It’s almost like the Core behaves itself because it’s terrified of her.”

“That would explain why it stabilized when Alex’s carving was put back,” Klarisa said, staring at the figurehead. “The fragment might recognize the face of the person who killed it.”

“Exactly!” Skayla said, jumping to her feet.

“If I placed something that actually belonged to Lina near the Core, do you think it would become even more stable?” Klarisa asked with an amused smile.

“It’s worth trying,” Skayla answered with a chuckle.

“Cargo’s secured! It’s time to leave!” Lina called from the gangway, gesturing for Skayla to board.

As Skayla and Klarisa approached, Lina came down to say goodbye.

“Hey, Lina, turn around for a moment,” Klarisa said. “There’s something stuck in your hair.”

“Hmm?” Lina turned around.

Klarisa slipped a small pair of embroidery scissors from her pouch and snipped off several strands of Lina’s scarlet hair, catching them in a clean handkerchief.

“All done,” Klarisa said.

“Thanks.” Lina turned back and caught Skayla struggling not to laugh. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing~” Skayla replied with a smile.

Before Skayla could give them away, Klarisa stepped forward and hugged Lina.

“Please take care of yourself,” she said.

“You too, Klarisa.” Lina returned the hug.

Klarisa pulled Skayla into a hug next. “I’ll test it when the ship returns,” she whispered. “If it works, I might need you to send me something else belonging to Lina.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Skayla whispered back with a giggle.

Lina and Skayla boarded the Flying Crimson. The mooring ropes were released, and the ship slowly departed the docking bay for the open sea.

They waved from the deck until Klarisa and Alex disappeared from sight. The couple watched their friends sail away, unaware of the danger waiting beyond the horizon.