There are two ways to awaken a mana core.
First, you wait for it to awaken naturally.
Second, you force it to awake.
Most people only know the first method. The second? That's something I created, I mean, Xavier Solstice.
I had no choice. One time, when my mana core was destroyed, I nearly died. Back then, everyone who once called me a genius, a prodigy, a hero, they were nowhere to be found. It was as if I had never existed to them.
And even though I was born a Soul Phantom, even though I had power inside me, I couldn't use a single bit of it without a mana core.
I tried. Again and again, I kept failing. Searching for a way to restore what was lost.
Can a destroyed mana core be restored? Normally, no.
But if you are a Soul Phantom, the answer is yes.
If mana exists, if Arcanists exist, then naturally, beasts exist too.
There are two kinds.
Mana Beasts, ordinary creatures born with mana flowing through them.
And then there are Soul Beasts, far rarer, far more powerful. These are the lingering spirits of once-mighty Mana Beasts who died but refused to disappear. Their souls wander, absorbing the world's mana, transforming into something new. Unlike Mana Beasts, they have no physical body. If I had to compare them to something, I'd say they're more like spirits.
And if a Soul Beast chooses you, if it merges with you, then you become a Soul Phantom.
In my case, or rather, in Xavier's case, I was born a Soul Phantom. From the moment I took my first breath, I had a Soul Beast inside me, one of the rarest, one of the strongest.
Solar Lion.
A beast said to be a messenger of the gods.
…But that doesn't matter now.
Because Kaiser Ashford, the person I am today, is not a Soul Phantom. The Solar Lion is gone.
Which means no matter how hard I train, no matter how much I push myself, I can't force my mana core to awaken this time.
When someone cultivates their mana, they absorb energy from their surroundings and store it in their mana core.
But what happens if you don't have one?
If you try to absorb mana without a core, instead of creating one, your energy will spiral out of control. Your inner balance will collapse, and in the worst-case scenario, you will die.
That's where Soul Beasts come in.
A Soul Phantom who loses their mana core isn't completely doomed. Their Soul Beast's core will act as a safeguard, meditating in their place, stabilizing the energy before it destroys them. When the time is right, the Soul Beast's power will collide with their own, creating a new mana core from the fusion.
That's how I survived.
But that was Xavier.
Kaiser Ashford is different.
I don't have a Soul Beast anymore.
If I try to force an awakening now, I'll die for real.
And yet… I refuse to give up.
If I can't rely on a Soul Beast, then I'll find another way. Time's not on my side. I can't wait another seven years for a natural awakening.
I have to get to the capital and uncover the truth. Well, even if I say that, I have no damn idea how to create a mana core, so I'll put that aside for now. First problem, first, right?
It's been almost a week since Arlan returned, and yeah, he shut himself in his room like some tragic protagonist. Only open the door to eat. What a rascal.
Mom and Dad are worried, but does Arlan care? Nope. The world could burn outside, and that guy would still be holed up like some hermit.
But whatever, because my brilliant plan is moving forward. Heh heh.
I was in my room, standing on a chair, peering out the window like a nosy old lady, when Adrien came running in, panting like he'd just fought a war.
"They're here! They're really here, young master!" he gasped, sweat dripping down his forehead. Poor guy must've sprinted all the way from the lake to the Baron's house.
I gifted him a grin.
"Don't do that. You look like a villain who got reborn in a kid's body," Adrien deadpanned, looking like he regretted every decision that led him here.
But what should I even do?! I am no longer Xavier, so I don't have to hide my real face! Heh heh.
"So, what are they doing?" I asked, carefully stepping down from the chair and dramatically flopping onto it in my signature king pose. Legs crossed, elbow resting on the armrest, chin on my palm. Absolute authority. I could already hear an imaginary audience clapping.
"As the young master said, they're checking around the area," Adrien reported, still catching his breath.
"Did you bring the things I asked for?" I asked, leaning in.
Adrien hesitated. "I got them… but may I ask what exactly you're planning to do with these?"
I carefully took the bag, my hands cradling it like a sacred treasure. I swear my eyes were sparkling. I had always wanted to do this ever since that greedy old man of mine who is known as king rejected my plans and shut down all my brilliant ideas.
"I'm going to create the royal seal."
Adrien's soul visibly left his body. If I waved my hand fast enough, I might even catch his ghost trying to escape. Ah, poor thing, must have been shocked!
"WHAT the?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, YOUNG MASTER?!"
Adrien almost screamed, his voice hitting a pitch that could probably scare off the bloodsucking leeches in the forest.
Wait. When did this punk become my friend? Did he just curse at me? Bold of him. Ah, whatever.
"I told you, didn't I?" I said, completely ignoring his heartfelt scream. "I'm going to sell that lake."
Yes. The Sevan Lake. The one marking the eastern border of our barony.
Now, don't be fooled by the fancy name. It's not some majestic, sparkling body of water where mermaids sing and heroes have dramatic battles.
Nope. It's a mosquito-infested, leech-ridden puddle of disappointment. No fish, no valuable resources, just there, existing. We don't even use it for water because the Sevan River supplies us directly. The lake is practically abandoned, a forgotten part of the land.
Oh, and did I mention the forest around it? A wonderful, scenic place full of bloodsucking giant leeches. That's right. No person ever went near it. I mean, no normal person.
And the best part? Sevan Lake didn't even officially belong to our barony. It wasn't owned by any county, barony, or viscounty.
It was just… there. A natural, unclaimed landscape under government authority. Well, in theory. In reality, I doubted the government even knew it existed.
And that's where my genius plan came in.
I was going to sell this useless lake.
And suck mo- ahem, gain money.
In Ashford Barony, it was just a worthless pond. But to the lands nearby, it is a golden paradise. Literally. There is gold in the lake. A natural gold deposit- uh, what's the word again? Gold vein? Yeah, that. Heh heh.
At least, that's what everyone else would believe.
By 'everyone else,' I meant Viscount Rowley, our neighbor. A greedy old man who would sell his soul for an extra coin. The moment he caught wind of Sevan Lake being a 'gold mine,' he'd definitely start pulling strings to snatch it up.
And here I was, the mastermind turning an empty lake into a gold rush.
It was simple, really. Just sprinkle some natural-looking gold rocks and dust around the lake, not everywhere, just enough to be convincing. Adrien was handling that part with his Arcanist powers. Dual affinity for Aqua and Terra, the perfect combo for an artificial gold rush, if you ask me.
As for the gold itself? Heh heh. Let's just say I… borrowed it from the barony's treasury.
But don't worry! I'll replace it with ten times its worth. Maybe even more. Probably. Hopefully. And if not? Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
"I'll just kill them if this goes wrong." Someone I know Said.
And just like that, my moment of pure, evil genius was ruined.
Adrien, ever the ray of sunshine, stood there, casually unsheathing his sword like this was just another normal day.
Ah, come on! Stealing was wrong, but killing was okay? How the heck is this guy's brain even working?!