By Zephyria 
The room given by the Sun God was no different from the outside.
That is, it was bare without a single decoration and made entirely of solid gold. The table and chairs were attached to the floor without a single seam, and so was the bed placed in one corner. It was bright all around as if light emanated from nowhere, and the light reflected off the walls and ceiling, dazzling the eyes.
Small, dark green Makrirs came with golden plates and golden cups in their hands and placed them one by one on the table. The fruit on the plate and the liquid in the cup were also golden.
“…Gold, I suppose the Sun God made it.”
“That’s right. Because he is a great being…”
Marianne mumbled in disbelief. But everyone was conscious of Leon and John, who were filled with emotion, so Hugh Benson added a few words of praise instead of his usual harsh remarks.
As the small Makrirs scurried out, everyone sat in their chairs and stared at the plates.
“The shape looks somewhat familiar.”
“Yeah. It looks like the Hand of Makrir.”
Ruben responded kindly to the casually spoken words.
The size and shape were indeed similar. It shimmered golden and was faintly enveloped by a radiant light made of Divine Power, but its form, no matter how one looked at it, strongly resembled the Makrir fruit, said to be good for pain relief and fever reduction. When I picked it up, its skin felt firm and ripe.
Do I have to eat this whole thing?
I wondered whether I should bite into it immediately since it was given by a god, or if I should peel it and take only the soft flesh, as I would with a regular Makrir fruit.
As everyone hesitated, unable to put it in their mouths right away, Leon was the first to pick up the fruit with both hands and take a bite. Crack. An unusual sound was made. Marianne quickly asked.
“…Is it delicious?”
Leon, without a word of confirmation or denial, calmly took out a dagger from his pouch. Was his tooth injured?
Watching him with his lips tightly shut, unable to even utter a sound of pain, everyone chuckled.
It had been a long time since I had peeled a fruit with a dagger.
Everyone was a master of swordsmanship, so they were all adept at peeling fruits. Benjamin, instead of Marianne, who lacked strength in her hands, peeled the fruit for her.
I found myself looking at Ruben’s hands. I thought he wouldn’t be good at such trivial tasks, but he skillfully peeled the outer skin and the inner flesh of the Hand of Makrir. Then, he thrust it towards me.
It was amusing. I, too, placed a fruit I had peeled onto the child’s plate. Even though we had simply swapped identical fruits, the one the child had touched somehow looked more luscious, which was funny.
“So, shall we eat…?”
“Wait a moment.”
I stopped the mercenaries, who had a determined look as if they had made a great resolution.
“If it has any special effects, it might be better to refine it before consuming it. I would like to demonstrate first.”
“The thing you did in the Mana Cave before?”
“Yes.”
“Can we do it too?”
“…Well, I can’t be sure, but probably.”
These mercenaries didn’t know how I absorbed spiritual medicine.
But Hugh Benson had seen it once before. After that, he had seen me gradually grow stronger, and after hearing the gods’ testimonies a few times this time, he seemed less hesitant. “Go ahead,” he said, and I placed the fruit I was holding back onto my plate.
I had grown very fond of these mercenaries who had led and helped us so well. I wanted to give them the Jin Gi Do In, just as I had done for the children. Even if I couldn’t do that, I wanted to at least help them absorb the spiritual medicine.
Knowing that this was a safe place protected by the power of the gods, and that the gods cherished them, I felt even less hesitant.
I sat on the floor with my back against the wall and assumed the lotus position. I put the flesh of the fruit I held in one hand into my mouth. No juice came out, so my hand didn’t get wet. I placed my hands on my knees, chewed twice, and swallowed.
At the same time, a hot surge of energy heated my entire body.
It was a spiritual medicine filled with the energy of the sun. The energy, extending to the tips of my limbs, slowly warmed my whole body. I did not resist the rushing energy.
I already had my Ren and Du Meridians opened. Even if the energy had raged wildly through my body, I could have endured it, but this powerful force gently embraced my body as if looking after it, making it effortless.
I had learned something while operating the Hip-Circlet this time.
Energy that had gathered densely would naturally draw in surrounding energy just by its presence. Drawn by the solar energy that pierced directly into my Dantian from my throat, a golden radiance rushed towards me.
Divine Power, wasn’t it said to be refined Mana? Indeed, it was. A painless fire ignited at every joint that gathered my body. My body grew hot.
A strange realization dawned upon me.
I reached out and grasped the cup. It was far away, but it naturally came into my hand as if someone had handed it to me. I poured the golden liquid in again. It was sticky and sweet like honey.
Then, this time, my body cooled down. The heat remained contained within its own warmth, and the new, cold energy that entered rubbed and swept through the widened parts of my acupoints. They intertwined, swirled, and collided, then slowly subsided.
Sparkle. I opened my eyes. A wry laugh escaped me.
Finally… finally, 300 years. My Dantian, now completely full, had not grown larger but rather smaller. The Dantian, which appeared to be tightly constricted, was actually more solid than before. If I overlaid it with aura… 600 years.
Those who could control 200 years of energy were called Transcendent Peaks in the Central Plains. It was said that those at the Hwagyeong realm could wield internal energy up to 800 years with their fingertips. And those at the Hyeon-gyeong realm controlled 3200 years of energy. Those at the Life-Death realm could embrace all of nature as their own.
I became a Sword Master by being able to control 200 years of energy. It was said that Maelo Sanson could freely manipulate the mana of nature, but I estimated that he controlled energy around 800 to 900 years.
I laughed without intending to. Fast. I had grown incredibly fast.
“…What, why are you laughing?”
“No, the gods… it seems they’ve given us a very good gift. There’s no need for me to do anything extra.”
“No need to do anything extra?”
“You’ll know when you try it.”
I looked around. The radiant light that had been on my shoulder gently settled down and piled up on the carpet. It was clear that the Divine Power drawn by the spiritual medicine had pushed the essence into my body, leaving only the shell. I nodded my head once and explained again.
“However, it would be best to consume it one person at a time… The Sun God is watching and channeling the surrounding energy into our bodies as well.”
John wept with emotion once more.
But this time, I too found the Sun God incredibly respectable and lovely.
With such devotion being poured into us, I felt like I could even kill a god if I got lucky. If I had the chance, I would definitely strike him down properly. I vowed to myself.
❖ ❖ ❖
December 28th.
It was explained that the vast avenue visible immediately upon exiting the main gate of the Sanctuary of the Sun represented this land and the world. The pillars erected on both sides were set up with the sky as their ceiling, so they were impossibly high, but they were not capped.
The Sun God had generously allowed us to use the wide avenue and the rooms we stayed in.
As a result, the children and mercenaries who had just consumed the spiritual medicine trained from dawn till night on the avenue of the sanctuary, using it as a martial arts training ground, to control the sudden surge of energy in their bodies before their new start.
Benjamin finally reached the realm of a Sword Master.
His skills had improved greatly while cutting down monsters, but Benjamin was clumsy with controlling energy, relying on brute strength before aura or internal energy. Blessed by the Sun God, his strengthened internal energy allowed him to perform delicate aura control. He succeeded in drawing Sword energy, albeit clumsily.
Most of the people here were seniors who had walked the path Benjamin was now treading. They praised him generously, saying he was young and learned quickly, and would achieve great things.
Worried that Rubel might become impatient, I called him aside to talk. However, Ruben smiled brightly, held my hand tightly, and said something lovely.
“I’m okay, Mika. You’ll protect me, won’t you? The reason I like swords is…”
“…Is because?”
“I want to like the same things as you. That’s why I’m okay.”
It was incredibly difficult to refrain from kissing him. Seeing my hesitation, the child hugged me tightly, and I gently patted his back. Ruben still smelled of dahlias full of sunlight.
That night.
The long-awaited Ranunculus arrived.
Having absorbed the mana of Duke Withrow, the Ranunculus, now shining silver, circled the sky above the Sanctuary of the Sun a few times before landing very carefully. John, knowing that the Sun God had allowed it to enter, caused another commotion by prostrating himself in gratitude.
Without hesitation, the Ranunculus greeted them in Duke Withrow’s voice.
“If you are receiving this message now, it means the Second Prince and his party have safely arrived at the Sanctuary of the Sun.”
The use of honorifics, unlike when speaking to Hugh Benson or me, was likely because Rubel was the intended listener. Everyone listened intently to Duke Withrow’s cool and neat voice.
“Information regarding the Black Magicians’ movements is originally highly classified, but I believe it is necessary for you to know, as the Second Prince has personally witnessed the Troll Variants. I am reporting the current situation. We have eliminated tens of thousands of Monster Variants, but a similar number continues to pour in from north of the Yuil Mountains.”
“….”
“This is impossible for just one or two Black Magicians. Therefore, by imperial decree of His Majesty the Emperor, the tracking and diplomatic departments of the Nobility Yearbook have dispatched special envoys to four Duchies and five Kingdoms to investigate suspicious activities. There have been no major breakthroughs yet.”
Four Duchies?
There are a total of five Duchies in the Sierran Empire. That means…
“The defense line of the Duchy of Grimesbane has been breached once. Fortunately, thanks to reinforcements sent immediately from the capital, and the Duchies of Kiadris and Valentia, a defense line has been established 750km north of the Phyton Plains, diagonally across the Bailey coast, and efforts are underway to recover territory.”
“…My goodness…”
“As of December 25th, 60% of the Duchy of Grimesbane’s territory has been recovered. When Your Highness returns, it is advised that you do so via Biban or Yulan, rather than Owen. I wish you good luck.”
As if it had delivered all its messages, the Ranunculus let out a cute chirp and flapped its wings.
However, no one could embrace or pet the Ranunculus. A dreadful silence stretched on endlessly.