TPBP Chapter 61

'I did it.'

Honestly, I didn’t think it would actually work.

What I knew was simply that unrefined Oceanis might have the power to suppress the darkness.

From there, I made one assumption.

There are two gods in this world—Deira and Cormare. But the powers these two deities bestowed upon humans were different.

The power of the Enlightened originated from Deira. Oceanis, on the other hand, was a condensed essence of the sea’s energy… In other words, it came from Cormare.

Oceanis is refined using mana stones. And mana stones are gems that contain the condensed energy of the earth, thus, tied to Deira’s power.

So I theorized: when Oceanis comes into contact with Deira’s energy, it weakens the sea's energy within it, or perhaps Deira's power acts as a sort of barrier that blocks or seals the energy flow.

It’s like mixing ingredient A and B, sometimes you get a completely different result, C, or the effect of B gets significantly reduced.

I tried to apply that idea.

'How many mana stones did I burn through…'

I had to test whether the medicine could retain its properties even when it collided with the mana inside the mana stone. Also, whether it could enter the body without reacting negatively to the mana already inside it.

Many people believed that humans couldn’t use magic and therefore didn’t possess any mana at all.

But that wasn’t true.

The 'aura' that humans wield was actually their own internal mana, drawn out by surpassing their limits.

'Since I already knew that, it was easier for me to figure things out. I was lucky.'

I used that as a basis to combine different ingredients. Extracting test samples was something I did regularly, so observing how the reaction unfolded was straightforward.

'But this version still isn’t very efficient.'

I called it the first neutralizer because the current medicine was still incomplete. There weren’t many test subjects available, but even by simple calculations, making just one dose of this medicine required ten units of pure Oceanis.

And yet, it barely managed to suppress a small portion of the darkness.

'You might think, ‘Why not just take more of it?’ But the ingredients I used in this formula can actually become toxic if consumed too frequently.'

There had to be a more efficient way.

One might argue that supplying pure Oceanis directly would be more effective, but even sourcing high-grade Oceanis, not just any Oceanis, was difficult. While the Sixth Household might manage to obtain it, an Enlightened born as a commoner would never be able to secure such pure Oceanis.

Therefore, my goal is to create a darkness-neutralizing agent that uses as little pure Oceanis as possible.

'Of course, I don’t possess any divine powers or darkness myself, so I’ll have to ask that person to do the future testing.'

I glanced to the side.

Ekati was still staring at the empty vial with an expression of disbelief.

“This is… I still can’t believe it.”

“Now do you believe I’m a genius?”

“…Are you sure you’re not actually 16?”

“Come on, that can’t be true.”

Actually, I’m 26.

Ekati stared at me blankly, then shook her head left and right, perhaps trying to collect herself.

“Well, you’ve fulfilled everything you promised. So I must uphold my end too. Tell me what you want.”

“There are a few things, but aside from monetary compensation, I’d like you to give me something separately.”

“You’re very thrifty. Alright.”

I stretched out my index finger.

“First—create an identity for me.”

“An identity?”

“Yes, I want to keep registering my formulation copyrights going forward. You don’t need a medical license to apply for that, but I do need a bank to handle the income.”

“Hmmm…”

“I haven’t applied for any revenue settlements yet.”

“So someone else is registering everything under a different name for now?”

I nodded.

“It’s just a matter of manipulating the birth records a little.”

“Of course, exactly.”

Steve had been registering the formulas under the name Etware, but actually receiving the profits was a separate issue.

Payouts weren’t made in cash.

Naturally, that meant I needed a bank account, and to open one, I needed a citizen certificate from a territory.

Unless Steve owned a merchant company or something, it would have been too risky for a mere priest to forge an identity—so I had to wait until I met Ekati to make the request.

‘I couldn’t ask Steve to forge a territory citizenship certificate on top of everything else.’

Sure, he could probably manage it if he really wanted to, but Steve was a priest. If he crossed the line that far, it would leave behind a paper trail—so I couldn’t drag him into it any further.

Steve would still handle the paperwork side of things, but since this was obviously illegal, having strong backing made all the difference.

‘If people find out Terminus was involved, even the Emperor of the Western Continent wouldn’t be able to do anything.’

Even if the rest of the Six Great Houses didn’t like it, they wouldn’t dare openly go against us. The moment any conflict between the Six Houses surfaced publicly, the people’s trust in the aristocracy would be shaken.

Fortunately, the nobles here care deeply about appearances.

“Please make it under the name Etware. We can say the gender or other details were lost or never recorded.”

“Then let’s just say there are several people in the Tenus territory with the name Etware. That way, no one will know which one is the real alchemist.”

As expected of the Head of the House of Terminus—Ekati wasn’t sociable, but she had excellent instincts.

I giggled, and Ekati let out a small sigh.

“So, little one. Judging by the fact you’ve only raised one finger so far, I’m guessing you’ve got more requests. Let’s hear them.”

“Oh, right.”

I raised my middle finger as the second request.

“I plan to continue improving the darkness neutralizer. Please don’t spread word about this—and if possible, I’d like you to volunteer as a test subject.”

“I’ll gladly do that. After all, if you hadn’t made the neutralizer, I would’ve been completely consumed by darkness in a few years.”

‘That’s what happened before the regression, after all.’

Ekati even offered to cover all the costs of further developing the darkness neutralizer. It was a tremendous offer, not just financially, but also as a sign that Terminus would continue to support Caelum.

Then I extended my third finger.

‘Might as well confirm it while I have the chance.’

“Give me your heart.”

I hadn’t cared much before but now that I’d come this far, I wanted to take a gamble.

***

A heart.

To most people, that word would be terrifying.

But Ekati already understood what it meant.

'She must be talking about the story of The Loner of the Black Forest.'

Ekati looked at the girl before her with a strange gaze.

As though she were staring at something unknown, something humans could never reach.

When ordinary people first meet an Enlightened, they usually recoil.

It’s because Enlightened ones wield powers far beyond a common person’s grasp.

And among them, the Sixth House was in a league of its own.

Unlike typical Enlightened, whose powers aren’t inherited, the Sixth House’s abilities were passed down through blood.

That was what set them apart from all other Enlightened.

Generations of accumulated power and legacy meant that those born into the Sixth House

often couldn’t live as normal people.

They were revered for saving lives and benefiting the world but rarely treated as 'people.'

It was even more pronounced for those born with particularly strong abilities.

Non-Enlightened individuals had a natural instinct to avoid Enlightened ones.

That included even non-Enlightened parents within the Sixth House, sometimes they couldn’t even bring themselves to love their own child.

'There were definitely cases where children were neglected because of that.'

And that wasn’t unique to the Sixth House.

Even if someone seemed to get along fine on the surface, most ordinary people subconsciously kept a distance from Enlightened.

It was a kind of animal instinct.

But that girl, she was different.

And it wasn’t just her.

The entire group of pirates who had arrived at this castle showed no fear, no discomfort toward the Enlightened. They all interacted comfortably.

'Maybe that’s why I felt drawn to them…'

When was the last time she’d had such a lively meal with others?

Ever since Ekati had gained her 'sisters,' those meal times had become even rarer.

They had split the darkness among themselves, which allowed them to guard Castle Terminus alone for over a decade, but it came at a price.

'Come to think of it…'

Ekati had started guarding the castle’s borders around the age of ten.

Around then, the number of living servants in the castle began to dwindle.

People of Terminus rarely lived long lives.

They were required to use their abilities constantly until death.

Many considered it a noble calling but as their powers involved calling forth the dead, they were shunned not just by the public, but often by fellow Enlightened as well.

It was a lonely kind of honor.

So many people avoided them that the castle was eventually moved right to the edge of the territory, next to the Black Forest, which had been growing there for quite some time.

'There was a reason our ancestors moved to the border in the first place.'

The House of Terminus had an old creed. 'Though we are a noble part of the Sixth House, we are also sinners. Do not seek the presence of the void.'

The void referred to royalty.

The Terminus House lived by those words, isolating themselves from the political world, quietly protecting the Western Continent.

They had no ties to the court.

They didn’t participate in high society.

And they stayed holed up in a castle deep within the Black Forest.

Naturally, contact with the other noble houses faded.

And to the last person left behind, Ekati. The previous head of the family had left behind a will.

“There is a heart beneath our castle.”

“…Could it be that the reason our family has spent its entire life within the castle wasn’t just because of our powers?”

“Yes. Remember this well. That must never fall into anyone else’s hands.”

And with their final breath, they barely managed to speak.

“But one day… if you ever meet that person, you must give it to them.”

“That person? Who are they?”

“…You’ll know when you meet them.”

Even if they seem like nothing special at all, your heart will recognize them.

That is the pride of the House of Terminus, the one who has guarded this power through the generations—the pride of someone who has never once betrayed the one they chose to follow.

So when Polaris asked for the heart, Ekati understood immediately. That this child was the one to whom the heart must be given.

Perhaps, deep down, she had sensed it ever since they first met.

“…Come with me.”

Ekati rose to her feet and took the lead.

The 'heart' was kept in a place deep, deep below the castle.

It wasn’t even marked on the castle’s blueprint.

To reach it, they had to use a secret passage.

They walked for so long that Polaris, panting from exhaustion, had to stop multiple times.

In the end, Ekati had no choice but to carry her the rest of the way.

“Wow…”

Polaris gasped softly when they finally arrived.

They stood inside a vast underground cave.