Doc's Vial - 81
"Marc?"
Juro's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Ah! Well, I was just worried." Marc quickly smiled again before turning toward the other children. "Anyways, let's get the other kids' collars removed!"
Juro nodded in agreement.
…
"This time, I'll do it, Teacher Juro!" Marc exclaimed.
"Oh? You think you can do it? There are still nine kids here wearing those collars," Juro replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! I'll make it so that I can do it!" Marc sounded genuinely determined. Juro simply smiled and nodded, trusting him to give it a try.
"Alright, you guys, just stay still! Let me remove those collars for you all!" Marc announced brightly.
The children didn't say a word. They simply listened to the two amazing people standing before them, watching as Marc prepared himself.
Marc took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. As he did, mana began pouring out from his body. He glanced around at the children, concentrating even harder. This time, however, it wasn't just a single flow of mana extending from him. There were multiple streams, each moving independently.
Nine in total.
Marc carefully directed each flow toward the marble orbs embedded in the children's collars. Maintaining all nine streams at once, he continued pouring mana into each orb until they began glowing brightly.
Then, almost simultaneously, they all shattered.
The children stared in surprise. Their collars loosened and began falling away, leaving nothing around their necks. For many of them, the sensation was almost overwhelming. It felt as though a chain that had been weighing down their hearts had finally been lifted, allowing them to breathe freely again.
Marc gradually calmed himself and dispersed the remaining mana. But before he could even say anything, several children came running toward him, tears streaming down their faces.
"Phew… Wo-woaahhh!"
Marc chuckled lightly as the children gathered around him, nearly overwhelming him with their sudden affection. Still, he couldn't help but feel relieved himself. Not a single child had been hurt.
Juro watched the scene with a smile, though his thoughts were elsewhere.
"The mana output he displayed wasn't particularly high, but that doesn't mean it should be taken lightly. If an ordinary mage poured out that much mana simultaneously, they'd already be halfway depleted..."
His gaze settled on Marc.
"He really is a one-of-a-kind kid."
"Alright, it's time to get out of this place," Juro said.
Marc turned toward him with a smile. "Mhm!"
…
Somewhere back inside the orphanage.
Bell felt a sudden surge of mana. The doctor in front of him seemed to have felt it as well.
Bell smiled faintly, already having a good idea of what had happened.
"You felt that too, right?" Bell remarked.
The doctor glared at him angrily. His plan to use the children as hostages had failed, and there was little he could do about it now.
Bell continued, "Why not just give it up?"
The doctor lowered his head for a moment, his expression seemingly defeated. But then, he began to chuckle.
"Yeah… You're right. I'll give up!"
The moment he shouted those words, he bit down.
Blood immediately began seeping from his mouth.
Bell's expression changed.
"Did he bite his tongue? No…"
He had noticed something just as the doctor opened his mouth. There had been a small glass vial tucked between his teeth.
"So this is his last desperate resort."
The doctor's body suddenly began twitching uncontrollably. His head started pulsing, the movements becoming increasingly unnatural, as though something beneath his skin was shifting and changing.
It was as if his entire body was beginning to morph.
"Tsk... He most likely took an unfinished Blood Potion he made. At this point, he won't be himself anymore. If I were in my original body, I could probably undo the changes..." Bell thought to himself as he slowly backed away, putting some distance between himself and the doctor.
His expression remained calm, though a hint of disappointment could be seen on his face. As the doctor's body continued to morph and deform, Bell raised his right hand and aimed his palm directly at him.
"If I let him fully transform, I'm not worried about him beating me. I'd be more worried about having to explain how I managed to beat something like that..."
Bell took one last look at the doctor's changing body before recalling something from their earlier fight.
"Back when we were fighting, he used multiple magics, but stopped shortly after. His expression also looked worn out. I'm guessing his mana capacity isn't particularly high."
Bell let out a final breath before beginning his incantation.
"Mana venenosa tero kumachielo."
A surge of mana burst from his palm and rushed toward the doctor. The moment it reached him, the mana began flowing into his body.
"Whguh?!"
The doctor tried to speak, but his lips and mouth had already become so deformed that no proper words could escape.
Mana continued pouring from Bell's palm, flowing relentlessly into the doctor's body. The transformation took an abrupt turn. His body began growing larger, while his skin gradually turned gray. Yet Bell's expression remained unchanged as he continued channeling the mana.
..
Outside the orphanage, Marc and Juro had finally managed to free the children. However, something suddenly caught Marc's attention. He turned back toward the orphanage, his expression growing concerned.
"You noticed it, huh?" Juro remarked.
"Yeah... Is Bell gonna be fine?"
Juro smiled.
"He'll be alright."
…
As more and more mana entered its body, the monster that had once been human began to tremble. At first, the tremors were slight, but they quickly grew stronger until its entire body was violently shaking.
Then, in an instant, it exploded.
Pieces of its flesh scattered in every direction.
Bell finally lowered his arm and released a long breath. He then sat down on the floor, looking at his own hand.
"I never thought I'd use this magic again…"
"Mana venenosa tero kumachielo. It was one of those double-edged sword magics. The magic used the caster's own mana and transferred it directly into the target."
"At first, transferring one's own mana to an enemy might seem unreasonable. However, every living being in Demanas possessed a small uniqueness to their mana. It was much like blood. While humans all had the same red blood, they also had different blood types."
"Once my mana entered the doctor's body, the doctor's own body and mana couldn't properly match or synchronize with it. As a result, his body couldn't absorb the transferred mana, leaving it to accumulate inside him instead. The more mana I poured into him, the larger his body became. And since his body couldn't absorb it, the accumulated mana eventually caused him to explode."
Bell closed his eyes and continued thinking.
"But that's not all there is to this magic. Once the caster uses it, they can't stop the flow of mana. It will continue pouring out until either the target dies or the caster runs out of mana."
"That alone makes it detrimental for mages in a fight, especially when facing multiple opponents. After all, no one can easily gauge another person's mana capacity."
"Still, this magic has its own uniqueness. The mana it transfers is toxic, not pure. It's a countermeasure in case I run out of mana. The toxicity will continue to accumulate inside the target and eventually kill it anyway."
Bell sighed before opening his eyes.
"I'm explaining this magic to myself as if I'm trying to familiarize myself with it all over again... Ah, this takes me back to those days."
A faint smile formed on his face. However, before he could dwell on the memories any longer, he heard footsteps approaching. Bell got to his feet and turned toward the entrance just as Marc arrived.
"Bell!"
Marc exclaimed, quickly running toward him. However, he suddenly stopped when he noticed something lying on the floor. A piece of flesh.
"Eee! What's that?!"
His face showed a mixture of surprise and discomfort as he stared at it.
"Ah... That? Well, the doctor drank something, and his body started changing and transforming into some kind of monster. Eventually, his own body just exploded," Bell casually explained.
"Woah... Why do you think he exploded? Did his body not endure the transformation?"
Marc carefully stepped around the piece of flesh before making his way toward Bell.
"Well, I felt his mana increasing—.."
"Ah! The mana! So it was his mana?! Phew..." Marc interrupted, letting out a relieved breath. "I thought something bad happened to you, Bell..."
Bell tilted his head slightly.
"To me?"
Marc nodded.
"Yeah! Back outside the orphanage, I could feel a surge of mana, but... it was so weird and confusing. Like, tiny fragments of that mana felt like yours, but at the same time, they didn't. And what made me even more worried was that the mana itself felt really unsafe, like it wasn't just mana... I might be overthinking things, though."
As Marc finished explaining, Bell's expression changed slightly. A hint of surprise and amazement crossed his face.
"Did he just say he could feel tiny fragments of my mana? But I never used mana manipulation magic... I only used magic. So he really is just like him..."
Bell smiled faintly to himself.
"Hmm? Bell?" Marc asked, noticing his expression.
"Ah, don't worry. I was just lost in thought about what you said. It really did sound interesting. But anyway, how are the kids?"
"Ah! The kids! They're all fine. They're just outside right now with Teacher Juro. Let's go to them!"
"Alright," Bell replied with a smile of his own.
…
As the two left the orphanage, they noticed several horses and people wearing armor gathered outside. Some were standing around the area, while others were escorting the people who had been working for the doctor.
"Woaaa! Where did they all come from?!"
Marc exclaimed, looking around in amazement.
Juro noticed them and waved, gesturing for them to come over. Bell and Marc made their way toward him.
"Ah, these are the knights I called for earlier. They're here to take the people who were working under this orphanage into custody and escort the children back."
"Woahhh!"
Marc exclaimed, his attention still fixed on the knights and their horses.
Suddenly, one of the knights shouted, "One person is making a run for it!"
Marc quickly turned his head toward the commotion. Before he could even make out what was happening, one of the knights began an incantation.
"Buona Velocita!"
The knight's body briefly glowed before he lunged forward at incredible speed, quickly catching up to the fleeing man. With a swift movement, he seized the man's arm and forced him down onto the ground, firmly subduing him.