After the Church healers left with their threat hanging in the air, a tense silence enveloped the main hall of Hellyasa Mansion. Baron Hellyasa, who had just witnessed the Church's arrogance and his son's recovery, looked at Kenzo with a complex expression.
He walked over to Kenzo, no longer with the formality of a kneeling noble, but with the sincere respect of one man to another.
"Master Kenta," Baron Hellyasa said, his voice steady. "Your actions today... you have risked yourself and Miss Mina to defend this family. You have shown us our true enemy, and you have given us a way out."
He placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "From now on, whatever happens, consider the Hellyasa Family your ally. We will stand by your side."
Kenzo nodded. "I appreciate that, Baron."
The alliance was forged. Kenzo now had a secure, temporary base of operations, allowing him to focus on the most pressing matter: upgrading his pathetic "hardware."
Several weeks passed in this newfound peace. Hellyasa Mansion, once shrouded in a cloud of gloom, began to feel alive again.
Their economy, which had been on the brink of ruin, slowly recovered. Baron Hellyasa, with newfound confidence, officially canceled the loan negotiations in the capital. He didn't need to use the money, so their Lazly Mine was safe from being mortgaged. Instead, he used the initial profits from the Malaria medicine recipe (arranged by Kenzo) to start rebuilding the family treasury, which had been drained by years of the Church's extortion. He began to focus on developing his territory again.
Meanwhile, Kenzo settled into his new routine.
Most of his time was spent in secret meditation. He couldn't forget his first failure when attempting Tier 4 magic: the piercing pain, the nosebleed, and Prometheus's diagnosis of his 'limited hardware.' He knew he was still too weak. In the quiet training yard, he would sit cross-legged. This training was mental torture.
The first exercise was the "CPU Upgrade." He would take ten small pebbles and use a basic Tier 2 "Push" spell to make them all float. He would then try to make pebble 1 spin right, pebble 2 spin left, and pebble 3 move up and down, all at the same time. At first, he would fail within seconds, a sharp pain in his head followed by a nosebleed. But as time went on, he could hold it for a full minute, then two. His brain was adapting.
The second exercise was the "Battery Upgrade." He meditated to expand his Mana Pool. Unlike his brain exercise, this process was also slow, tedious, and required total discipline. There were no shortcuts. Every extra unit of Mana he could store was the result of pure hard work.
In his spare time, Kenzo also became a teacher. He taught Aron and Keysa separately from Lina.
In the courtyard, he stood before Aron (now healthy) and Keysa. Both had an affinity for Water magic.
"Forget all the poetic chants you've learned," Kenzo said. "Magic is a command. Logic. Watch." He held out his hand. "[Command: Form: Sphere] + [Content: Water]."
A drop of water leaped from the dew on the grass and formed a small, perfect sphere of water spinning in his palm. Aron and Keysa gaped.
"But... Kenta," Keysa said, confused. "This is Water magic. In the forest, you used Fire to save me. That... that was Fire magic, right?"
Kenzo scratched his cheek, feigning awkwardness. He had almost forgotten that being a Perfect Generalist was impossible in this world.
"Ah... that. Yes. My main affinity is actually Fire," he lied smoothly. "I just... know a little Water magic. Don't take it seriously. It's very inefficient and weak."
Keysa and Aron exchanged a look. "Two elements?" Aron whispered. "That's so rare! Although the 'Artisan' mages say it's a sign of an impure and useless talent..."
Kenzo smiled internally. Perfect. They thought he only had two elements and dismissed it as a weakness, not a strength. He would continue to hide the fact that he could use all elements. His identity as a dominant Fire mage with a slight talent for Water was now secure.
That night, in their room, Lina approached Kenzo.
"Big brother Kenta," she whispered, the emptiness in her eyes long since replaced by brightness. "You teach Keysa and Aron. Can... can I learn magic, too?" She clutched his robes. "But... Light magic is rare. I don't know how to use it. I'm scared."
Kenzo looked at her gently. Prometheus had scanned every book in the library, including the rare texts on holy magic.
"Lina," Kenzo said. "Light magic is pure energy. It's the opposite of Darkness. It doesn't destroy; it restores, balances, and purifies. That's why the Church wants you so badly. Watch."
Kenzo picked up a small sewing needle from the table and deliberately scratched his palm, drawing a small, shallow cut.
Lina gasped. "Brother!"
Kenzo smiled. "Pay attention." He focused his mind. 'Prometheus, Tier 1 formula: [Heal Minor Wound].'
A soft, warm, and pure light emerged from his palm. It was far purer than his Fire or Water magic. In seconds, the scratch closed and vanished without a trace.
Lina's eyes widened in disbelief. "Brother... You can use Light magic... too?"
Kenzo immediately put his finger to his lips. "Sssh." He looked the little girl seriously in the eyes. "This is our secret, okay? Our biggest secret. Don't tell anyone, not even Keysa."
Lina nodded earnestly, her eyes shining. She was not alone.
The peace lasted for almost a full month.
Until one afternoon, that peace was shattered. A man ran staggering into the main hall, his face pale, gasping for breath. It was the foreman from the Lazly stone mine.
"My Lord!" he cried in panic. Baron Hellyasa and Keysa ran to meet him.
The foreman dropped a gunny sack onto the floor. He pulled its contents out with a trembling hand. It was a Lazly stone. But it was no longer a beautiful sky blue. It was pitch black, veined with a sick, dark purple energy.
Baron Hellyasa staggered back as if punched. "No..."
"Disaster, my Lord!" the foreman shouted. "Dark Mana! There's Dark Mana in the northern vein! All the stones we're digging up... they're all turning!"
Keysa explained to Kenzo in a shaky voice, "Lazly stone is valuable because it absorbs Mana, making it a perfect magic conductor. But if it absorbs Dark Mana... it becomes a 'Cursed Stone.' Worthless, dangerous, and must be destroyed."
"This... this is our end," the Baron whispered, clutching his chest. This was their only livelihood. "The entire mine could be contaminated..."
He looked at Lady Reisya in despair. "The only way to cleanse Dark Mana... is with a purification ritual..."
An expression of horror dawned on everyone in the room as they realized the implication.
"Our only hope," the Baron whispered, "is to call the Church."