It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 213
Divine power, granted as a gift from the god, and the mana used by mages are very different in nature.
In principle, they should never be able to interfere with each other, like water and oil.
But let us consider Felix’s magic, the one tormenting Ardin now.
This secret art of the Silias family was not something that could reasonably be called a normal manifestation of magic.
Had it been that, the many talented and brilliant mages over the years could have analyzed the formula and nullified it. That was precisely why a different method had been chosen.
Simply put, it was nothing more than a lump of energy parasitically clinging to the body in an abnormal way.
From the standpoint of handling Divine Power, how was that different from a disease? Just as one removes a virus invading the body, one should simply remove it.
However, the reason it could not be done all at once like ordinary diseases was that the mana had been injected over a long period.
Even if it came from the same person’s mana, years of accumulation gradually altered its nature. From the perspective of healing, even if the symptoms looked similar, each lump was recognized as a different ailment.
Therefore, the cluster of mana clinging to Ardin’s spine needed to be treated in six or seven sessions.
‘If it had been one lump, it would have been harder.’
Eliminating just a single cluster consumed more than half of my divine power. If I had needed to remove all of it in one go, my life would have been in danger instead.
“Kh….”
As the Divine Power I infused clashed fiercely with Felix’s mana, Ardin looked as if he were on the verge of death. He kept his posture rigid, but his whole body was drenched in sweat.
In truth, I had kept my hand on Ardin’s back for only about three minutes. To Ardin it must have felt much longer.
In any case, the victor was the Divine Power.
Feeling the resistance vanish and one of Felix’s mana clusters completely destroyed, I lifted my hand from Ardin’s back.
At the same moment, Ardin collapsed.
“Huff, haa…”
Looking down at him supporting himself on the ground, drenched in sweat and tears and gasping for breath couldn’t exactly bring me any warmth or satisfaction.
As someone who had heavily invested in Halid as my favorite stock character, the other male leads were merely irritating. But thinking about it more clearly, each of them had their own circumstances that led them to treat Vivian like garbage.
Especially Ardin, who was no different from Felix’s slave, forced countless times to do things he never wanted. Obedience to the head of House Silias was the only way he could stay alive.
And according to the fake Vivian, he had died countless times because he got tangled up in the real Vivian’s affairs. I could not judge him as simply as a flat, paper character in a novel.
Nor should I.
I crouched down in front of Ardin and handed him a handkerchief.
“Are you all right? It must hurt a lot.”
“I can endure… it.”
The hand that accepted the handkerchief from me trembled violently.
“I will head back first. Come when you have calmed down.”
Just as I was about to stand.
Ardin grabbed my wrist and spoke with great effort.
“The contract… give it to me.”
Huh? The contract, now? Was this a good sign, or a bad one?
As I blinked and looked at Ardin, his body suddenly flew far away and rolled across the ground.
“Let go of her hand.”
It had been too fast for me to see, but clearly Halid had kicked Ardin.
‘N-no… he is injured…’
The order of things seemed wrong too. Should he really kick first and then tell him to let go?
I was horrified inside but showed none of it outwardly.
Halid must have understood why I brought him, and he had simply fulfilled his role of protecting me from Ardin.
‘He is not dead… is he…?’
Stifling a sigh, I stood and approached Ardin.
He had blood on the corner of his mouth, but fortunately he was not dead.
“Here.”
I took out the contract and pressed it into Ardin’s hand.
