A Special Grade Mana Core stood at the very peak of all Mana Cores.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t for everyone.

Only special individuals born with a special affinity for Mana could have it—and if was from birth.

Life was unfair like that.

While some were born as Inepts, possessing not a single fragment of Mana—others had the ultimate Magic Cheat.

Individuals with Special Grade Mana Cores were meant to be unparalleled in Magic—achieving exploits at an early age.

Yet… there existed one right in front of me that was hardly developed.

‘Just what were you doing for 400 years, Lemi?’ I nearly sighed in exasperation.

Even among Elves, Special Grade Mana Cores were rare, so Lemi was immensely blessed with talent.

Her potential was immense.

Yet, she had hardly cultivated it.

‘Haaa… this girl…’

Still, because it was a Special Grade Mana Core, it had been able to survive against the Miasma surrounding it for so long.

Weaker Mana Cores would have been destroyed a while ago.

I was happy that this was the case, considering the next phase could only be possible if Lemi had a very sturdy Mana Core.

Sure, it was possible for me to build it up to a satisfactory level myself, but since it was already at this level, there was no longer any reason to do so.

‘Let us begin, shall we?’

I began pouring the Miasma that was concentrated in me into the multicolored Mana Core.

The immense glow was strong enough to push the wave of Miasma away, but I had no intention of losing out.

>VWUUUUSSSHHH!!!<

Activating my Miasma Cores, I increased the potency of negative energy, finally overcoming the barrier that shrouded the Mana Core.

And then—

>WHUUUUUMMMMM!!!<

—It seeped into the Special Grade Mana Core.

“Gaahhhhhhh!!!”

Lemi’s scream rang out, but I ignored it.

‘Bear with it. It only hurts when it’s your first time…’ With that in mind, I inserted more of the black stuff deeper into her.

Ignoring her screams, I kept at it, meeting less and less resistance as I furthered.

‘I suppose it’s also advantageous for me that her Mana Core hasn’t really developed…’

Considering the fact that it would be harder to corrupt her Mana Core with Miasma if that was the case.

Thanks to the vulnerable state of Lemi’s internal cluster of energy, my work was easier.

‘Let’s go faster now!’

**************************

It took longer than I thought for the colliding energies to stabilize.

Perhaps it was because I was operating on someone else’s Mana Core and not my own. Either way, even with the slight obstructions here and there, I finally did it.

‘Huu… at long last!’ I smiled, staring at the transformed Core in front of me.

No longer could it be referred to as a Mana Core.

An equal half of it was already shrouded in darkness, and the second part was brimming with multiple colored lights.

A perfectly Fused Core!

I had succeeded in containing Lemi’s Miasma, and making it an integral portion of her being.

‘With this, you’ll be able to grow even stronger.’

Mana.

Miasma.

Magic.

Anti-Magic.

Lemi now had access to these—and most likely lots more.

‘This is my gift to you. I’m sorry it came late…’

And with that, I canceled the Resonance.

**************************

“Haa… haaa…”

“Haa… haaa…”

Both Lemi and I were short on breath.

It was an intense session that sapped quite the energy from me—and her.

“How was it?” I asked her amid my heavy breaths.

Sweat poured out of both our bodies, and I could tell that she felt a greater deal of the pressure.

It was her first time, after all.

“I… I feel better.” She smiled, turning to meet my gaze.

Her smile was genuine, and a spark was in her eyes.

The pain from having her body constantly corrupted was now gone. Instead, a brand new refreshed sensation must have been coursing through her.

“It feels hot and weird here… kind of…” Lemi touched her stomach, where her Fused Core was located.

“… But, it also feels kind of good.”

It would take some getting used to for Lemi to fully understand and control both elements. But, I had no doubt about her capabilities.

After all… she was my daughter!

“The energy you feel is now a part of you, Lemi. You’ll be able to get even stronger now.” I patted her shoulder and rose to my feet.

Once I did that, my hand pulled her up as well.

“LEMIIIII!!!”

As expected, the doting Elf Queen burst through the doors and went straight for her niece.

“Are you okay? Does it still hurt? He wasn’t too hard on you was he? Are you in pain? Feeling better now? You look so exhausted! Won’t you rest?”

‘What am I, chopped liver?’ I thought to myself, feeling relegated despite my hard work.

‘I understand Aurora’s worry and care, though. Lemi was the treasure that Emilia left behind, so I can respect that…’

That was the reason why I specifically requested that she stayed beyond the glass walls.

That way, she couldn’t hear the intensity of Lemi’s screams. Even though she could see the girl in obvious anguish, not having to hear the sound helped in relieving her worry and fear.

Besides, now that it was all over, they could all laugh about it.

“T-thank you so much, Jared Leonard! I don’t know how I can ever repay you.” It was only after she had completely ensured the wellbeing of her niece that Aurora shifted her focus to me.

“Allies help each other out. I only hope that after this war is over, we continue to keep the agreement and remain Allies… for the good of everyone.”

The Treaty specifically implied that either party could choose to dissolve the Alliance after the war with the Demons was over, but I would prefer it if that didn’t happen.

A joint front was profitable in many ways—not just in defeating our current enemies.

I hoped she would see that.

“I understand, Jared. You have proved not only your worth, but also that of your whole race. I understand now that it would be foolishness to dispel our Alliance with your Race.” Aurora smiled.

Lemi also lowered her head and murmured a sorry excuse of thanks.

This whole incident hadn’t been in my plans, but things ended up working better than expected.

‘I thought after seeing me work my miracle with Original Magic—as well as stopping the looming two-pronged incoming Demon attack, Aurora would be fully convinced to remain Allies with the Eastern Kingdom.

‘But, looks like that’s not necessary.’

I already had her trust.

At this point, it was simply a matter of taking care of the rest on merit.

‘First, we’ll repair the damage done to the Elf Kingdom. Then… we face off against Zenkiel’s plan.’

____________________________

A

/N

Hehe hehe. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I certainly enjoyed the ‘bonding.’

Hahaha