“And that is how her majesty Queen Mira along with the then Duke Augustin stopped the hordes of Eshad from taking over Desert’s Bastion Fort in the year 2209 T.E.,” said the Royal advisor and scholar, Margarette.
“Yeah, yeah. A tale of love and bravery preached throughout the nation. I have already heard it a million times. Boring. Can I go now?” spoke the voice of a girl in a distracted tone.
“Princess Vanessa! It is of utmost importance that you pay attention to your studies. Every Royal must know their nation's history by heart, especially when it comes to your parents,” Margarette responded in a strict voice.
“Oh, calm down Maggie. I am not even the Crown Princess; I can afford to be more carefree,” Vanessa commented.
“You cannot! Even if you are not the Crown Princess you have still received the highest blessing from the Eternal Mother. Only Saints and Cardinals of the church are granted such honor! It would be a shame if you were to waste such a gift,” Margarette said.
“It can’t be that rare if both my older sisters also received it.”
“It is a miracle that there are three manablessed royals in the same generation. Of all your uncles and aunts, only your mother received the blessing. The country would have been in turmoil if no manablessed royals were born during that generation. Please appreciate the Goddess’s magnanimity,” Margarette said.
“I am grateful, but I don’t see how wasting my time here is any different from wasting my gift. I have been stuck in this palace ever since I was born, I want to go out and travel the world. Uncover its secrets. There is so much to see out there. I want to climb the World Tree in Aethfall, touch the Great Storm Barrier of Estela, go ruin hunting in Fallen Arcana, sail to the edge of the world, discover what’s beyond the Frost Sheets and Scorching Plateaus, and so much more,” Vanessa said with sparkling eyes.
“Some of those places are death traps!” said Margarette in exasperation. “A manablessed princess of the Fruysia Kingdom isn’t allowed to leave the nation for such selfish reasons. You are the third in line to the crown if, Goddess forbids, some misfortunes were to befall upon your sisters then you would have to lead the nation and its people.”
“And what could possibly happen to them with all the guards around? We aren’t even at war anymore. This might be the most peaceful time since my dearest mother took the throne,” Vanessa said using a sarcastic tone while addressing her mother.
“Peace is an illusion. It’s not safe outside the palace your highness. Danger lurks everywhere, you will never see it coming,” said Margarette ignoring her tone.
“You’re just like that witch! It’s the same damn thing once I ask her to let me go outside, ‘It’s not safe outside the palace Vanessa.’ Not safe? How much safer could it get? I am just a caged bird here. Why can’t I go out if it’s safe for my sisters to go out? All I ever do is train and study,” Vanessa shouted and complained.
“Please do not disrespect her Majesty. Her concerns are not unjustified. The assassination attempt on the Crown Princess by the empire five years ago has made her much more cautious. You will be allowed to go out when you develop your mana heart just like your older siblings,” said Margarette with disapproval.
“And I am telling you that I want to go out so that I can develop my mana heart. I don’t want to be spoon feed like my brothers and sisters. Assimilating the heart with just spars and meditation will only result in a weak mana heart,” Vanessa said loudly.
“That theory has not been proven. We can’t risk the life of a princess based on conjecture,” Margarette said.
“Oh, but you will risk the Queen’s life. Tell me how she assimilated her mana heart again?”
“That was an unforeseen event. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. If your grandmother knew that the tribes would launch an attack on Desert’s Bastion Fort at that time then she would not have sent your mother there,” Margarette replied.
“And yet that event cemented her position as the Queen,” Vanessa quickly replied. “Your Queen’s just a hypocrite.”
“Princess Vanessa!!” Margarette called out almost shouting. “Do not besmirch the Queen’s reputation. You have no idea how much she has sacrificed for the country.”
“Whatever, I don’t care what great things she did in the past. She’s just a control freak now,” Vanessa said without hesitation.
Margarette almost shouted again but she paused and took a breath to calm down. “Let’s not continue this topic. We can speak about your mana heart when you have finished assimilating your liver. How far along are you on that?”
“Yeah, change the topic like I am some kid,” Vanessa chided but didn’t wait for Margarette to reply. “I am already 85 percent done. It shouldn’t take more than a year to finish.”
“We will see about that, the last ten percent is the most difficult hurdle,” Margarette replied. “Since learning about history has brought forth such an agitated reaction, let’s talk about something that is more to your liking. How are your magical studies faring?”
Vanessa’s mood turned for the better after she heard that.
“It’s going quite well,” she replied.
“Have you memorized all the names of the ranks?” Margarette asked.
“Yes.”
“So, what rank would you be right now?”
“I already assimilated my stomach, intestines, and other periphery organs so I am done with Rank 3—Mana Eater. I will be done with Rank 4—Mana Purifier once I am done with the liver,” Vanessa replied with pride.
“Splendid,” Margarette replied. “You are advancing quite quickly your Highness, even for a manablessed.”
“Haha, thanks,” Vanessa smiled at the compliment. “But I had a question, Maggie. Why can’t I assimilate my liver before my stomach and intestines?”
“That is a good question. I will ask you something else before answering. What was the first thing you felt when you entered Rank 3?”
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“Hmmm,” Vanessa paused to think. “It was an idea implanted into my mind. I suddenly realized that I had to assimilate my liver next.”
“That is correct. Every mage will have the same thought implanted into them. Whenever a mage advances a Rank, they will immediately know what body part to assimilate in the next Rank. It is one of the fundamental laws of magic theory,” Margarette explained.
“But that still doesn’t answer my question. Why the stomach before the liver? What would happen if I tried to assimilate my liver before my stomach and intestines?” Vanessa asked.
“It would be a waste of time. Your body has to maintain a certain balance. You cannot maintain a stable mana-assimilated liver without first assimilating your stomach, intestines, and periphery organs. Many have tried and failed to do so, and those who succeeded succumbed to corruption,” Margarette answered.
“Corruption!?” Vanessa asked in shock.
“Indeed. The body cannot handle such an imbalanced state for long. Your mana would get corrupted eventually.”
“And people still tried to do it?”
“Some didn’t know the consequences. Others had stagnated in Rank 2 for so long that they decided to risk it and circumvent Rank 3 to gain immediate strength. You have to realize your highness that not everyone is manablessed. At a certain Rank regular mages reach a bottleneck, and they would risk anything to get a bit more power. The qualitative increase in power at Rank 4 is something every mage desires,” Margarette explained.
“Well, I can understand the sentiment. Rank 3 feels like such a waste of time,” Vanessa said.
“That is a big misconception. You would never be able to create your mana heart without completing Rank 3. To me, Rank 3 is one of the most important ranks. Why do you think it’s called Mana Eater? Without an assimilated digestive system, you cannot consume a mana core or any other magical resources,” Margarette said.
“I know that but still, you spent so much time in Rank 3 only to get a minute increase in your mana quantity. It’s so disappointing,” she sighed.
“It is a bit frustrating if I were to add my opinion,” Margarette agreed.
“What about the manaborn?” Vanessa asked. “Why can’t I find anything about them in here? All I read is that they are similar to the manablessed.”
“That is a complicated topic. You are right that we have no books about them in the royal library. It is somewhat of a taboo topic, though most people know about it. You can find some files on them in the confidential archives. But the short of it is that the manaborn are highly prone to corruption.”
“Corruption again. Why? What’s wrong with them?” she asked.
“That I cannot answer. Nobody knows for sure why. There are some theories but nothing concrete,” Margarette said.
“What’s your guess then?” she asked.
“Let me ask you this first your Highness, have you ever seen or heard of a manaborn Saint or Cardinal of any religion?”
Vanessa thought about the question before answering, “No.”
“Why do you think that is?” Margarette asked.
“Let me think. Hmmm…...” Vanessa paused and searched for an answer, but she couldn’t figure it out. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because we already have the manablessed.”
“You are close. It’s not that there are no manaborn of the orthodox aspect, it’s that they cannot exist. The Gods protect those who awaken one of the orthodox aspects and thus stop any of them from turning into a manaborn. It is one of their many gifts to their believers,” Margarette explained.
“But any mage can be corrupted. Why stop the manaborn from existing?” Vanessa countered.
“Because it’s extremely difficult to deal with a corrupted manaborn. The number of manaborn that have reached Rank 10 without being corrupted can be counted on two hands. And besides we already have the manablessed as you said—all the good of the manaborn without the bad,” Margarette replied.
“Hmm. They must be really hated then. How sad,” Vanessa said with pity.
“They do suffer a lot of hatred and discrimination, but they are not outright banned. Manaborns are really strong. One manaborn in Rank 9 can easily fight off 3 regular mages at the same rank. Most manaborn enlist in the army where they are highly respected and treated as tactical assets,” Margarette explained.
“What about the manablessed?” Vanessa asked.
“Hmm?”
“How strong are they compared to manablessed?”
“That is difficult to say. It varies widely from aspect to aspect. Though on average the manaborn are a little bit stronger.”
“I see. So, because of the lack of the protection of a deity, it is much easier for manaborn to be corrupted?” Vanessa asked seeking confirmation.
“Yes, that is the leading theory and the one I support. Because the manaborn advance so quickly it is hypothesized that they create some minute imbalances in their body that cannot be noticed. These imbalances quickly accumulate and corrupt them after reaching a certain threshold. However, this isn’t a problem for the manablessed because of their deity’s protection,” Margarette explained with some enthusiasm.
They discussed a bit more about magical studies before moving on to Vanessa’s most dreaded subject—Royal etiquette.
…
Vanessa sighed as she left the royal library. Her teacher never slacked off. No matter how much she complained or tried to run away from her lessons she would still get caught. She walked through the palace corridors and went towards her room, her two guards following behind her. She passed by some guest rooms and turned the corner when she came face to face with her sister, Princess Victoria.
Her sister had the same red hair as her tied with some ornamental jewels. She wore an extravagant blue dress that matched the color of her irises and flaunted her lackluster figure. Vanessa was always proud that she was much better endowed than her sister.
“Running from your studies again little Vanessa?” Victoria asked.
“I am already done. Stop putting your nose in someone else’s business.”
“Still as impudent as ever. It’s no wonder Mother doesn’t allow you to leave the palace,” Victoria said in a mocking tone.
Vanessa hated Victoria. She knew that Vanessa couldn’t leave the palace and would always find a reason to rub her nose in it. Well, two could play at that game.
“At least I am not two-faced like you. And what’s this dress it looks so suffocating. I could never fit in something so tight,” Vanessa replied and emphasized her chest by putting her hands below them. “But it does suit someone like you,” she snickered.
Victoria scowled at her before quickly changing her expression back to a smile.
“Well move out of my way I have to get ready for dinner. I heard father is coming back tonight,” said Victoria.
Vanessa looked at her and wondered how much more ready a person could get. But she quickly ignored that and focus on the most important part of her sentence.
“Father’s back!?” she asked with excitement, the earlier annoyance at meeting her sister had all but vanished.
“Yes, someone should have already been sent to inform you, but now the surprise is ruined,” Victoria smiled insincerely and walked away.
Vanessa was overjoyed with this news. Her father went to the Merlyn Kingdom to the north of the Empire on a diplomatic mission half a year ago. She had missed him dearly in his absence. Unlike her mother, she had a very strong bond with her father. He would always take her side whenever she fought with her mother. He was her favorite person in the palace. She loved hearing the stories of his adventures. In fact, it was these stories that made Vanessa want to go out and explore the world.
She quickly walked to her room to get ready to greet him properly. Her maid was already inside when she saw Vanessa she smiled and said, “I have some great news, my lady.”
“Father is back?” Vanessa said happily.
“Oh, you already knew? I thought I would be the first person to inform you,” her maid, Anna, said with a sad voice.
“Yeah, I heard it from Victoria on my way here,” Vanessa said. “Prepare the best dress I have; I must look my best when I meet him.”
“Of course, my lady,” Anna replied.
…
Vanessa looked at herself in front of the mirror. Like her sister, she wore a green long dress that matched her irises, though hers wasn’t as excessive and didn’t show a lot of skin. She tied her red hair in a bun and used a long gold hairpin, which was a gift from her father three years ago for her 14th birthday, to hold it together. Vanessa didn’t like to wear a lot of jewelry, but she still wore some emerald earrings just for this special occasion.
“You look gorgeous my lady. I’m sure his majesty will be delighted to see you after so long,” Anna commented from her right.
“You think so?”
“I am certain my lady. You look just like the Queen when she was younger.”
“I will take your word for it,” Vanessa smiled at the compliment even though she didn’t like being compared to her mother.
She looked at herself one more time to check if she was missing anything and made her way to the Cerulean palace’s entrance hall to be the first to greet her father.