Translator: Nox

I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 19

The Last Mana

The battle between those who wield swords is intuitive and equal.

That was why the profession of gladiator could still exist in Serdes.

Because it was intuitive, it was simple; and because it was simple, it was plain to see.

For that reason, watching them engage in a battle of wits within that dynamic was highly entertaining.

But the world of mages was the exact opposite of the sword.

It was an abstract world where clear disparities existed.

The problem was that the gaps between circles were too glaringly obvious.

In the absurdly honest world of mages, ascending just a single circle tilted the win rate by over ninety-five percent.

Yet, there was always a remaining five percent chance of an irregularity.

An overwhelming talent that could invalidate ten years of effort in a single day.

Ferda Valdrova, whom Bernel Marquis was watching right now, was precisely that kind of person.

‘Magic Intercept?’

A technique where one takes control of a magic spell manifested or cast by an opponent and turns it back against them.

It was the most difficult technique, rarely seen in battles between mages.

‘Isn’t that a technique used only by mages who have reached at least the 5th Circle…?’

Only mages with a deep understanding of magic and mastery over mana—5th Circle Master Mages—could use it, and that was how it had always been.

Yet Ferda was only of the 2nd Circle, a level even Bernel himself could look down on.

‘No, I did hear that it’s theoretically possible for the 2nd Circle.’

The 2nd Circle, Spell Blower.

A name given because they begin to use spells in earnest, capable of weaving magic through threads of mana.

However, that magic is crude, weak in power, and lacking in precision—a stage disparaged to the point of being called “blowing spells.”

‘So theory is just theory.’

Things that existed only in theory were a dime a dozen in the magic world.

‘And yet, he’s doing a Magic Intercept? For real?’

It was possible.

But it was something no one had ever actually achieved.

If that truly was a Magic Intercept, Bernel was witnessing a brand-new page being written in the history of magic.

---

Having returned to the past and attempting a Magic Intercept for the first time today, Ferda’s assessment was as follows.

‘As expected, it’s as simple as I thought.’

If a Mana Walker masters the point, a Spell Blower masters the line.

It is the stage where one can create a plane through those lines—in other words, weave magic.

‘The only thing I can cast is Magic Shot.’

He had forgotten the spells used in the 2nd Circle upon becoming a Great Mage, and he hadn’t bothered to learn them again yet.

‘But that is everything.’

It was simple, but it was the most necessary spell in his current situation.

Pure mana alone was already enough, without needing to transform it into elements.

At least, when it came to demonic beasts.

‘I’ve captured countless demonic beasts alive.’

Back when he collaborated with Thessalos, the Demon Follower, what Thessalos had requested was the live capture of demonic beasts.

Killing them was simple, but capturing them alive was difficult.

As he shared knowledge with Thessalos, they had compiled the characteristics of demonic beasts.

‘And that’s how I eventually figured it out.’

It was the simplest conclusion.

If a human is continuously exposed to corrupted mana, they break down or die.

Conversely, for monsters like cancerous masses that feed on corrupted mana, pure mana was actually a poison.

Ferda’s plan was to inject that poison directly into its heart.

Once they stop emitting mana and become poisoned, the demonic beast’s ultra-regeneration and overwhelming power will temporarily halt.

Simply put, it was like jamming a piece of wood between constantly turning gears.

‘It will break eventually, but it can put on the brakes for a moment.’

Ferda threw the first sphere toward the bear demonic beast’s face.

He fired it in a curved trajectory so its origin couldn’t be traced, dropping it precisely onto the crown of its head.

Boom!

Had it been an ordinary person, their head would have been reduced to mush by now.

—Roaaar!

However, the bear demonic beast threw its head back with a roar.

Its durability had become even tougher due to mana poisoning.

Although its head was dented, it hadn’t sustained any meaningful damage.

Ferda instructed Bernel.

“Prepare a large one.”

“Yes, sir!”

While Bernel shaped a large sphere, Ferda immediately prepared a second sphere to launch.

This time was also a curved shot.

Instead of dropping from above, it curved sharply from the side.

Boom!

The bear demonic beast’s head reeled violently.

—Roaaar!

Thoroughly provoked, the bear demonic beast bellowed.

It shifted its forepaws, searching for the enemy.

Ferda did not miss that window.

Four spheres were conjured around Ferda’s fingers.

“Now.”

Bernel threw his toward Ferda’s trajectory, and Ferda snatched the sphere.

Along with the four spheres floating around his fingers, he launched it in a straight line toward the bear demonic beast’s chest.

Boom!

A single Magic Shot detonated in midair.

The resulting propulsive force accelerated the other four spheres, causing them to move even faster.

The three small spheres Ferda had created spun in a spiral, impacting the chest first.

Kaboom!

Three explosions erupted.

The consecutive blasts tore through the hide on its chest, exposing the flesh beneath.

And the large sphere Bernel had created contacted the raw flesh.

‘Deeper.’

The accelerated force and rotational power dug deep into the flesh.

‘Even deeper.’

And finally, it detonated.

Kaboom!

A massive explosion swallowed the bear demonic beast’s entire body.

“Gasp!”

Bernel let out an undignified gasp, utterly shocked.

‘Did my mana sphere always have this much explosive power?’

He knew that the sphere that had exploded was the one he had thrown.

It possessed an explosive force he could never have generated on his own.

Yet Ferda, a 2nd Circle mage, was handling it as easily as if it were his own.

Ferda’s eyes peered through the rising dust.

‘Show yourself.’

The dust cleared, and the target was revealed once more.

As expected, the bear demonic beast’s body was in a terrible state.

Its black hide had been stripped away, and its dark purple flesh was utterly mangled.

Its internal organs and bones were laid bare.

Ferda’s eyes locked onto its heart.

‘It’s still beating.’

The source of all its life force was that heart.

The heart was pumping vigorously.

With each heavy thud, the bear demonic beast’s flesh was gradually repairing itself.

‘It truly has ultra-regeneration.’

Not only is its durability immense, but its recovery rate also far surpasses that of other demonic beasts.

‘I need to end this quickly.’

The beast was currently defenseless, unable to lift a single finger.

If it managed to move again, it would lead to Ferda’s defeat.

‘I have to play rough.’

Having made his decision, Ferda conjured a sphere at his fingertips and shouted to Bernel.

“Bernel! Throw your spheres as soon as you make them!”

“Yes!”

Ferda unleashed a relentless barrage toward the heart.

—Ugh… Ugh…

Hit directly in the heart, the bear’s body flinched as it gasped for breath.

Ferda’s spheres repeatedly struck the heart, forcibly tearing open the closing flesh.

Would Ferda’s mana run out first, or would the bear’s regeneration stop first?

It was a tug-of-war centered around a single wound.

‘Because of its massive size, it’s certainly not going smoothly.’

Victory was not guaranteed.

If he were a 5th Circle mage, he could have handled this with ease. But with the mana capacity of a 2nd and a 3rd Circle, it was hard to gauge.

Ferda was in a tight spot.

---

‘I feel sick.’

Bernel felt like he was going to throw up.

His mind was hazy, as if he had been inhaling thick oil fumes for too long.

The sensation of mana draining away clouded his mind, shattering his concentration.

‘Have I ever used this much mana since becoming a scholar?’

Never.

A scholar needed the power to immerse themselves only in what was necessary, and they had to focus entirely on that power.

Because of this, Bernel had always maintained more than half of his mana pool.

As Ferda unleashed his onslaught, Bernel was draining his mana rapidly to keep up with the tempo.

He only had about twenty percent of his mana left.

If he conjured about three more spheres, he would be completely depleted.

His questions then turned toward Ferda.

‘The Regent must have used a lot of mana too. How is he still casting magic?’

Even by a rough estimate, Ferda had thrown far more spheres than Bernel had.

Bernel looked up at Ferda.

His eyes widened.

‘B-blood is coming from his nose!’

The implication of a casting mage bleeding from their nose was simple.

‘Overload!’

An abnormal phenomenon resulting from pouring all of one’s mental focus into a single point.

It occurred when one exerted power far beyond their actual capacity.

‘If he keeps this up, he’ll suffer a mana burnout…!’

In the worst-case scenario, it was an incredibly dangerous situation that could leave him crippled, unable to perform magic calculations for the rest of his life.

‘As expected, since he came without even a staff…’

A mage’s staff served to assist in forming mana.

Ferda was calculating everything purely with his mind, without any of that assistance.

Overloading was the natural consequence.

If he was bleeding from his nose, he had to be stopped immediately.

“Bernel.”

Ferda called his name in a calm voice.

“Y-yes?”

“Focus.”

Bernel’s confusion vanished at the sound of that voice.

‘Right, let’s calm down. How can someone with a Blue Circle panic like this?’

It was truly a ridiculous sight.

Ferda, who possessed a Red Circle, was calm, while Bernel, who possessed a Blue Circle, was panicking.

‘I really… had no resolve at all.’

Bernel thought.

Since I couldn’t let go of the project, had I been prepared to lay down my life?

‘No. I wasn’t.’

He had thought he only needed to focus on research.

That he could just conduct research on the demonic beasts someone else captured and bring about peace.

Yet Ferda was risking his life for Bernel’s research.

Even risking a burnout that would end his life as a mage.

‘I have to risk it too…!’

Bernel confronted his cowering self.

And using that image as a stepping stone, he made a great leap forward.

“Ngggh!”

Bernel squeezed out every last drop of his mana.

He was converting his very life force into mana.

“Reeegeeeent!”

He let out a brave roar, unimaginable for the Bernel who had lacked all confidence.

“Take the last of my manaaaa!”

A massive sphere was transferred to Ferda’s side.

“Thank you.”

Ferda claimed that mana sphere as his own as well, throwing it at the bear demonic beast.

Kaboom!

A deafening explosion erupted from inside the bear demonic beast.

The beast’s movements and regeneration ground to a complete halt.

‘What about the heart?’

If the heart exploded, all their efforts would go down the drain.

Ferda focused and observed its chest.

‘It’s beating.’

The beast was barely clinging to life.

Its ultra-regeneration had been successfully halted.

“Now! Cut its tendons and bind it!”

Arwen and her subordinates charged, attacking the bear demonic beast.

It was as easy as putting a spoon on a fully set table.

Thus, without a single casualty, they successfully captured the demonic beast alive.

In the meantime, Ferda checked Bernel’s condition.

“Are you alright?”

Ferda asked.

Bernel was convulsing, blood streaming from his nose.

He had suffered a mana burnout.

Despite what must have been the agonizing pain of his internal organs tearing, he was smiling.

“Haha… H-how was… my… my sincerity?”

Ferda replied coldly.

“That was foolish. Risking your life like that.”

“S-since the Regent did so, how could I…”

He lost consciousness before he could even finish the sentence.

Ferda gently laid him down.

“Are you alright, Regent?”

“Is the demonic beast secured?”

“Yes. The demonic beast’s condition is… stable. We will transport it directly to the castle.”

“Thank you. Let’s take care of the urgent matter first. Is there a mage in the territory?”

“Yes, there is.”

Ferda pointed to the young man at his feet and said,

“Take this foolish fellow and have someone inject him with mana. The distance to our castle is too far, so I must ask of this favor.”

Arwen placed a hand over her heart and nodded.

“Understood. But do you not require emergency treatment yourself, Regent?”

“For what?”

Arwen pointed to her own nose and said,

“You are bleeding from your nose.”

“A nosebleed?”

Ferda wiped his nose.

Blood, now cooled, came off on his hand.

“Ah, I see.”

He had been so focused that even he hadn’t noticed.

Arwen handed him a handkerchief from her pocket.

“I have heard that overexerting oneself with magic can cause nosebleeds. If you feel dizzy, should you not receive treatment immediately?”

“Ah, I am fine.”

Ferda wiped his nose with the handkerchief.

After dabbing it a few times, the bleeding quickly stopped.

“I may be reckless, but I am not stupid enough to ruin my own body while fighting.”

He would take risks when necessary, but he would never truly gamble with his life.

In truth, he still had enough leeway to conjure about three more mana spheres.

“It seems a stray pebble flew at my face when the mana exploded and hit my nose.”

And so, Ferda could only feel that Bernel, who had pushed himself to the point of overloading and ruining his own body, was simply pathetic.