Ever since Aimi's new update allowed her to quantify mana, Ethan had gone completely off the rails.
The lab, if one could even call the cluttered basement of the Vale manor a lab, was a storm of copper wires, glowing crystals, and half-finished gadgets. The air smelled of oil, metal, and ozone.
"Mana quantification is complete," Aimi said. Her voice was calm, precise, and far too casual for what she had just announced. "You may want to sit down for this."
"I'll take my chances," Ethan muttered. "Show me."
Panels blinked into view before him. Thin sheets of blue light filled with neat rows of numbers.
Designation: Servant A: Vale Estate
Affiliation: House Vale
Strength: 1.2
Agility: 1.04
Constitution: 1.63
Perception: 0.97
Intelligence: 1.06
Mana: 1
Luck:Luck variable not available in data base
Magic elements: Wood: from observation
Ethan scrolled through more of them. Guards, maids, cooks, even the gardener. Every single human showed some amount of mana flowing through their body.
But when Aimi turned her scans toward the stables and gardens, the results went flat.
"Animals and flora show no mana signature," she said. "Zero readings."
Ethan's eyes widened. "So it's only humans. Almost like we're built for it. A natural energy circuit."
"Or an internal power grid,"
Ethan gave a soft laugh. "Fascinating. And a little terrifying."
The more data Aimi displayed, the more the pieces began to fit together. Mana wasn't just mystical nonsense. It was biological.
Every human leaked faint pulses of it, tiny waves that strengthened cells, repaired tissue, and fought disease.
That explained why people here were so absurdly healthy despite living in the hygiene nightmare that was like medieval Europe.
Their own bodies were running microscopic self-repair routines.
"Your readings are ready, Host"
Ethan watched his own panel form in front of him.
Designation: Ethan Vale
Nickname: deleted!
Origin: City- Valeria Country-Solaris Planet- unknown
Classification: knight initiative
Affiliation: Young Master of the Vale family
Current Status: ACTIVE - System Unlocked: 28%
Strength: 89/100 (adult)
Agility: 92/100 (adult)
Constitution: 97/100 (adult)
Perception: 102/100 (adult) = 1.02 (above average for an untrained adult)
Intelligence: 67/100 (adult)
Mana: 125/100 (adult) = 1.25 (above average for an untrained adult)
Luck:Luck variable not available in data base
Cortical Strain: 8% (LOW)
[SYSTEM TASKS]
Mission 14: Practice Vale sword-technique
Timeline: None
Reward: System unlocks knowledge of advanced programming
Penalty for failure: none
He frowned. "So I've got mana too."
"Indeed. A fair amount. Yet you still can't manipulate it."
"Because I don't believe in it," he muttered. "Still chained to science."
"Belief does not alter physics," Aimi replied flatly.
"In this world, it might."
So he studied instead.
He watched his mother train. The edge of her sword cut through the air in arcs that shimmered like liquid light.
Mana rippled around her, sharpening each strike until wooden dummies smoked where her blade passed.
Kael was different. His mana crackled and roared, forming arcs of electricity that coiled around his arms like living serpents.
With a flick of his wrist, the air ionized, and bright threads of lightning followed his command.
Ethan couldn't look away.
"If Kael's doing that with raw mana," he whispered,
"then it's acting like a capacitor, storing and releasing charge on command."
"Bio-manatic induction," Aimi said. "A natural power conversion process."
"Exactly. If I can copy that…"
He trailed off, a spark of manic inspiration lighting his eyes.
Until now, his inventions had been limited by voltage, weight, and cell capacity.
His dry voltaic stacks could power a taser or a small crossbow motor, but they were weak and unstable.
Mana changed everything.
If electricity could excite luminous pearls enough to attract ambient mana, then the reverse had to be possible. A loop. Mana feeding current, current feeding mana.
"So," Aimi said, analyzing his sketches, "you intend to build a hybrid source. Mana stimulates charge. Charge amplifies mana. A recursive cycle."
Ethan smiled, half-mad already. "Exactly. A resonance cell."
"Or an explosion waiting to happen."
He chuckled. "That's half the fun."
...….
...…
Vale Manor: Study of Duke Arione
The study smelled faintly of sandalwood and ink. Heavy curtains muted the wind outside, and the only light came from a single blue flame hovering above Duke Arione Vale's desk.
Papers lay scattered across the polished wood. Reports, sketches, and mana readings. At the center of it all was a drawing of a creature with faint traces of feathers and crystal scales.
Lady Lyra Dareth Vale stood by the window, smoothing the wrinkles of her gown after the exciting sparring session with Arione
"So it's confirmed then," she said softly. "Our youngest actually did it."
Arione picked up the drawing of a chicken; now named genesis.
leaning back in his chair. "Our little doom bringer didn't create life per say, Lyra.
But he changed it. Turned an ordinary chicken into something else. A magical beast."
Her gaze sharpened. "That's not any less alarming. You know what this means."
"I do," he said quietly. "A creature born of mana manipulation. That sort of thing attracts attention we don't want."
Lyra crossed her arms. "We've kept it quiet. Only a few people know what happened. But even with all our precautions, we can't be certain."
Arione nodded. "The manor's security is good, but not perfect. Secrets like this always find a way out."
For a moment, neither spoke. The firelight flickered, painting long shadows across the walls.
Lyra finally broke the silence. "If word reaches the wrong ears, the vultures will come. Scholars, spies, and nobles who crave forbidden knowledge."
Arione's eyes darkened. "Let them come. I'm not afraid of them."
"I know," she said. "But we can't fight them here. Not with Kael and Ethan under this roof. Not with the servants and their families nearby. One wrong spell and the manor could fall."
He exhaled and nodded. "You're right. I can't unleash my full power without risking everything."
Lyra gave him a faint, tired smile. "I'll hold you to that promise. You've already broken enough chairs."
He chuckled. "Only the ugly ones."
She rolled her eyes, but her lips curved slightly. "At least Guision isn't here to add to the chaos. I still can't believe you let him train under that man."
Arione smirked. "You mean Sir Garon? The eccentric one?"
"The same," Lyra said. "He once declared, 'No woman will ever touch my heart, for my sword shall pierce immortals instead.' I'm fairly certain he was drunk."
Arione laughed, the sound deep and warm. "He probably was. But he's still the best swordsman alive. Guision will either learn discipline or die trying."
Lyra shook her head. "You call that parenting?"
"I call it delegation."
She sighed but said nothing more. The laughter faded, and the room grew heavy again.
Her gaze fell back to the reports. "That just leaves Ethan and Kael."
"Yes," Arione murmured. "Kael can handle himself, but Ethan… he's walking a path no one understands. If anyone learns what he's done, they'll come for him."
Lyra turned toward him, her tone calm but firm. "Then we make sure they never reach him."
Before Arione could respond, a knock came at the door. Soft but deliberate.
Safrena, the head maid, stepped in and bowed. "My lord, my lady. Sir Charles of Solaris has arrived unannounced."
Arione's brow furrowed. "Charles? The Empress's right hand?"
"Yes, my lord. He is in the main hall. Butler Hans is entertaining him while I inform you."
"Do you wish to see him now?" Safrena asked.
Arione stood, straightening his coat. "Yes. Let him wait a few minutes. Offer him wine, but not the good one."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "Hans is serving him?"
"Of course," Arione said with a grin. "Let him experience Hans's deadpan hospitality. If Charles is here for politics, he'll leave questioning his life choices."
Lyra shook her head, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. "You haven't changed."
"And you still look calm when the world starts shifting beneath us,"
he said gently.
"I married you," she replied. "After that, everything else feels simple. Just throw panches at problem, if one does not work we will throw two"
The duke laughed softly, though his eyes stayed on the door. "Simple, perhaps. But never quiet."
...…
Ethan hadn't moved from his chair for hours. His back ached, and his legs had gone numb, but he barely noticed. The room was half workshop, half battlefield, filled with wires, glass, and rune-etched metal scattered like debris from an explosion that hadn't happened yet.
Aimi's voice broke the silence. "I've completed the primary design sequence. Now calculating the ideal distance between the circuits."
"How close are we talking?" Ethan asked, leaning forward.
"The margin of error must not exceed 4.78 nanometer," Aimi said. "The luminous pearl acts as the mana attractor. The copper-zinc core provides charge separation. The biomass layer must heat evenly for sustained resonance."
Ethan nodded. "So the pig fat burns, the heat excites the runic plate, and that agitates the pearl, creating the mana draw. The rest follows naturally."
"Correct. But your thermal distribution is unstable. I am recalculating spacing to prevent a meltdown."
Ethan rubbed his eyes and smiled faintly. "Take your time. I'd rather not lose a hand today."
"Estimated completion in twelve minutes and thirty-six seconds," Aimi said. "Running at low processing speed to avoid mental strain."
"Good," he murmured, leaning back. "Plenty of time to…"
He stopped. Something in the air shifted.
The candlelight flickered out of rhythm. The faint chirping of crickets stops.
"Hmmm… what was that?"
"Foreign mana signature detected," Aimi said sharply.
Ethan sat up straight. "What?"
"Normal individuals would not notice. Humans filter out low-priority sound. But I do not. The northern side of the estate has gone silent."
Ethan frowned. "Silent?"
"Completely. The fluctuation is minimal but unusual. The mana field is approximately one hundred and fifty meters wide. It covers the northern section of the estate."
"That's where the horse stables are," Ethan muttered. "Some horse thieves?"
"Most probable, host," Aimi replied.
"Any life signs? Heat traces?"
"Negative. The sound suppression is magical in nature."
Ethan was already on his feet. He grabbed his backpack, stuffed in a few tools, some copper wire, the half-finished mana-electric cell, and a small pouch of luminous dust.
"Ethan," Aimi said. "You are moving toward the anomaly."
"Of course I am. I can handle a few thieves. The new Magitech Energy Core mk.I will be ready by the time we get there. Perfect chance for a field test."
"I will complete the calculations in twelve minutes and thirty-six seconds. Should I accelerate?"
"Not if it drains me again," he said, fastening the straps. "Keep it steady. I'll need my head clear."
"Understood."
He took one last breath and stepped out of the workshop. The air outside felt heavier, thick with something unseen.
Behind him, Aimi's voice whispered in his mind. "Processing. Ten minutes remaining."
Ethan adjusted his pack and headed for the north wing, smiling to himself.
"Let's teach those horse thieves a high-voltage science lesson."