I Haven’t Grown That Much (1)

The Kairis Royal Family had dragon blood in their veins. To be precise, they were the descendants of Hachara and Sisphanian, two of the Eight Heroes who sealed the Evil God in the War of Gods.

Sisphanian was an ancient dragon who was said to have existed since the dawn of time. She married Hachara not for mere 'amusement', but because she wished to live with him for eternity from the bottom of her heart.

In other words, Hachara did not take Sisphanian as his queen, but rather Sisphanian took Hachara as her dragon partner.

Sisphanian wanted her descendants with Hachara to be a little special, so she gave powers to the direct line. The King of Kairis and his immediate children enjoyed these powers.

Healing power and talent for magic.

Those were the 'Sisphanian's Blessings'.

"The wound is still there."

Callian frowned. With those blessings, his wound should be almost healed by now.

But his hand, wounded by the knife thrown by Planche, had not healed in the least until late in the night.

While he wondered if Callian was King Lemain's biological son, he remembered that his wounds had healed properly in the past.

Which meant that it was a problem that arose recently. However, that wasn't the only problem.

"Callian… is a mage?"

Berne was a renowned knight. He was one of the only six Sword Masters on the entire continent.

In contrast, Callian had a skinny and untrained body, which made him wonder,

"Can the aura arise in a body like this?"

With that in mind, he tried to sense his mana and was surprised to discover that around his heart there were already three mana circles. At the same time, knowledge of vast and unfamiliar magic began flowing into his head like water.

He laughed that it had taken him two days to realize the important fact that Callian was a mage. However, he felt a sharp pain in his heart that left him breathless every time he tried to use his mana.

"It causes me pain to use mana…"

In fact, he subconsciously was about to wrap his hand with aura to catch the knife thrown by Planche, but he felt a sudden pain in his heart. He then clenched the knife with his bare hand. As a result, even that dull blade cut him.

Callian tried to use his mana once more, but it was futile. He grimaced and clutched at his chest.

His wounds that don't heal correctly and the pain in his heart. Faced with these two problems that he shouldn't have, Callian frowned.

He was frustrated that he had no memories of these symptoms. These seemed like problems that had arisen recently or after he entered Callian's body.

"This is bad. At this rate, I won't be able to use aura or magic."

It was not a mere concern, it meant a risk to his life.

Once he realized that it was not a trivial matter that he could set aside, Callian began to think deeply.

He needed to ask someone about this situation. Of course, there was no one in Kairis Palace who could advise him.

He carefully went through all his memories, but did not find an answer until the night, while he was in the bathtub.

—RRRR!

The water had begun to cool down, so the magical device for temperature control uttered a gurgle.

It was a creation of the mages, of course. Callian's eyes sparkled as he heard it.

"The Great Mage… yeah, the Great Mage."

Callian splashed the bathwater with one hand as an idea struck him.

"Ellon Manasil."

The Great Mage Ellon Manasil was one of the three Seventh-Circle Great Mages. As the youngest and most talented of the three, he was the idol of most mages.

He recalled that years ago— that is, now— Ellon was invited to King Lemain's birthday and visited Kairis.

For some reason, he was refused at the palace entrance, so he returned to the Riverne Kingdom.

Ten years later, Ellon became the only Eighth-Circle Great Mage on the continent.

"It is said that there is no one on the continent who can match his knowledge of mana."

Callian murmured under his breath. He was sure that he could definitely help him with the mana problem.

"Maybe I can take this opportunity to win him over."

The support of mages for a talented mage is comparable only to the loyalty of knights. Therefore, if Ellon was on Callian's side, then all the mages of Kairis would stand by Callian as well.

"It would also reduce the risk of being murdered like a dog."

No one would dare to take Second Prince Planche's life due to the power of Queen Silica's knights. What about First Prince Randell? His mother Aisha, the former queen of Kairis, who had died from illness, was a princess of the Holy Tenshi Nation. That made Randell a member of the Tenshi Royal Family, so his life could not be taken lightly either.

Callian would have that kind of power too if he had Ellon by his side. But that was not all. The biggest change Ellon would bring would be another.

Callian's eyes narrowed.

"My name would be added to the candidates for succession to the throne."

Although Kairis was ruled by dragon descendants, it was a place where mages were treated very poorly. This was due to the influence of Queen Silica, as she was from a family of knights. The mages were practically waiting for a crown prince who could turn the situation around.

With Ellon on his side, those mages would support him. Callian was clear that from then on, regardless of which family supported him, the mages would be far superior.

Of course, the fight for the throne was still far away.

Callian tried to use his mana once more. A sharp, clear pain pierced his heart.

"I need to see Ellon Manasil first."

Only then would he be able to take the next step.

There was a child Callian wanted to find. If Ellon could save him, Callian would then save that child and make him his 'sword'.

Lemain's birthday was a month away. The date Callian would die was around that time.

These events overlapped interestingly.

"I'll hold out until then."

—Splash.

Callian splashed the water again.