...

Two Weeks later, Alexander's room

"Hello, Mrs. Mari... Oh, excuse me. You are now the Lady of this estate, so I should call you Mrs. Leonandra."

"Don't worry, Ipe. We have known each other for so long; call me Marisia, okay?"

The dryad nodded, turning to Kairoso and bowing down, "It is an honor to meet the meritious Druid who brought peace and tranquility to the east of Moorgrel."

Kairoso frowned when he looked at Ipe, "First blooming, but is there a reason why you didn't serve the Temple..." Green interrupted him, "...who cares about stupid politics when we are about to cut open Alexander again?..." She looked at Scarlett, who sat beside the bed, looking over everything with a satisfying smile, "...don't worry, little fairy. He is legit."

From the bed came, however, a confused voice as Alexander looked at the picture book of a dryad, ignoring all the squabble. Greenish-tanned skin and hair, glowing green eyes, and the scent of nature, which was the same as his Father's but weaker, "He?! Why does He then have..." Alexander stared visibly at his enormous breasts and the summer dress he was wearing.

Ipe turned to Alexander, smiling at him, "...You must be the little treasure Mistress talked about?" The dryad walked toward him while everyone was relatively relaxed. To Alexander, it seemed that Ipe was very trusted as even his Mother, who usually barely trusted anyone, wasn't tense around him.

He stopped before the bed and looked at Alexander's body, his eyes glowing, "I see. It is truly a wonder that you are alive..." Ipe looked into Alexander's eyes, smiling, "...yes, about the sex thing or where you were glancing." He chuckled but held quickly a hand before his mouth, stopping himself. "...heh."

He immediately cleared his throat, becoming a little embarrassed, "Ahem, I apologize. It's been a long time since I had contact with children, but to answer your question, all dryads look like what you consider females, but there is a certain way we procreate. If you are truly interested, I have no qualms in educating you in this aspect..." His smile became more honest, "...who knew that beast-kin boys so young were this curious."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, finding him weird, but after a moment of contemplation, he himself wasn't better as he stared at his assets, "Yeah, sure..." He decided to ignore the sex issue as it was beside the point, only something he uselessly blabbed out, "...regardless of your hot and sweaty nights, can you truly heal me?"

Today was when he would be healed and, at the same time, his body strengthened. However, there wasn't much trust between all parties, as the best proof for this was Green, her fairies, and his Father, all being here with multiple pouches around their waist, which were probably filled to the brim with all sorts of talismans and elixirs.

A week ago, when it was decided to go through the ordeal, he was visited by Green and his Father, who made sure that he really wanted to go through this since this whole procedure would go on for weeks till he didn't feel any more pain from his Nature Break. Little to say, even his Father disliked the situation, but Alexander was absolutely sure that it was the right way for multiple reasons.

One reason, and probably the most important for him, was that everyone had some stake in him becoming well. Besides his parents, whom he unequivocally trusted that they had his well-being in mind, there was also his Grandmother, who was someone he wouldn't usually trust with anything. However, in the end, his rationale for trusting her was rather cold and logical since she should have his well-being on an opportunistic basis in mind, as he was about to get voluntarily poisoned by her.

However, he wouldn't let them all decide by themselves what would happen to him. So, he developed a plan himself for how the whole thing should go and talked with his Grandmother and Mother about some changes to the method.

They were at first very skeptical, but all he wanted was that they shouldn't concentrate on the body as a whole but focus on specific parts that his Mother would focus on with her demonic energy. Organs, blood vessels, bones, etc. Even his brain would be singled out, but only as a whole. Even though he wanted them to try and focus on specific regions, they immediately rejected such a thing as it would be too dangerous to sift through the brain, as to only cover it superficially with a thin layer of energy.

The theoretical upside would be that the strengthening effect would increase. The practical downside was that he would experience excruciating pain. Unfortunately, the poisons his Grandmother wanted to use weren't something that she could focus on specific parts.

Yet, for everything to work out perfectly, he needed a great healer, not just some third-rate dropout like Green. While he was thankful to her for saving his ass, what he was about to go through, was far above her abilities.

Alexander was brought back from his thoughts when his Father interjected before Ipe could say anything, his eyes glowing greenish when staring at him, "He can..." He relaxed slightly by rotating his shoulders, "...his skills are the real deal."

Marisia tried to comfort him, too, "Don't worry, Alex. He is, when it comes to healing, more than good."

Green also interjected, trying to reassure him, "No worries. I will also be there..." However, suddenly, Ipe looked disgusted at Green, sounding like she wasn't even worth his attention, "No need..."

He turned to Alexander with an honest smile, his attitude changing drastically, "...you know. Your Grandmother saved me while my kin ignored me. So, if I weren't up to this task, I would say so, but from what I got told, I can do it. Does this reassure you?"

These little interactions made Alexander sigh in relief as he feared that Ipe was someone not loyal to their household and wouldn't give 100% if problems arose, 'This motherfucker is the real deal and overly loyal to our household? Grandma really hit the jackpot.'

From what Anastasia told him, getting nature-dwellers as retainers took a lot of work. They were usually very zealous in their belief, with exemptions like Green in between. Thus, they usually didn't participate in politics or were part of households, as it could become messy with the politics of the Temple and Mal-Gil crossing each other. Yet, they became invaluable assets when they had nothing to do with the Temple and became loyal household members.

Alexander looked at him more intensely for a moment but then smiled and relaxed, trusting his family in this case, which made Ipe blush a little, "Of course, Ipe..." Before he could talk further, the door opened, a dog coming in, 'What the...?'

He looked at the dog walking toward his Mother, who looked like a husky but with pastel reddish fur and purplish eyes, "Whose doggy is this?"

The dog raised an eyebrow and turned to Alexander's Mother, "Marisia, your son is really something."

Alexander's tail waggled under him as he lay on his back again after a long time, "The dog can talk? Hey, can you give me a paw or play dead?"

His Mother approached the dog and patted her head, "First of all, this is Lili, who will be your guard for the next few years. Please be respectful, Alex. She is one of the personal guards of your Grandmother and a very loyal member of our household. She is also here to ensure your safety while we treat you."

Lili straightened up and looked proud but not smug at Alexander, waiting for him to praise her, "Oh, my bad, Lili, I apologize for my behavior. Nobody told me my new guard would be... well, you are probably not a husky, right?"

She looked at him briefly, then chuckled, panting slightly, "Mr. Alexander, I don't know what a husky is, but my race is called faunen."

Alexander was perplexed for multiple reasons. First, she sounded like a lovely older lady with a soft voice that was slightly high-pitched. Furthermore, when she spoke, he immediately thought it was his former teacher whom he really liked, so his mood was immediately heightened, "I am sorry, but I never heard about faunen, and my maps never showed any territories you held..." He looked at his Mother, "...are the maps maybe wrong or too old?"

Before his Mother could speak, his Grandmother interjected, "Your maps are fine. The faunen race has no territories, and most live under beast-kin, nature-dwellers, or spirit-beasts."

Kairoso looked at her, almost staring, while Lili only smiled back at him, letting her tongue hang out, panting. He sounded annoyed, "You didn't go through the first body modification, neither a blooming, but my skills tell me that you are strong. I guess you went through guidance, meaning you come from the spirit-beast territory."

Lili nodded and smiled at him, sounding relaxed, "You are right, Mr. Druid. I come indeed from this territory, but I was only a tiny puppy when Scarlett saved me from slavers in the human territory. It was..."

Before she could continue her story, Ipe interrupted her, sounding a little annoyed, "Enough, Lili, we are here for more important business than your sad life story..." He turned back to Alexander, smiling, "...so, do you have any more questions, Mr. Alexander?"

Alexander smiled back, "No, I think I can trust you fully..." which made Ipe brighten up even more, 'What a weird but nice guy, huh.'

Looking around, it seemed that everyone trusted him. Even his Grandmother looked smug at him, probably proud to show off some of her retainers, who, even Alexander couldn't deny, looked incredible and gave off an aura only the truly strong had.

However, Alexander wasted enough time. He looked at his Mother with a nervous smile, "...since I will become a recurring customer, do I get a coupon or stamp card?"

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Marisia frowned and moved toward the bed, "Don't joke around, Alex. I want you to take it seriously since we will do this for at least two weeks till your body is strong enough to withstand your massive levels. I need you to stay strong like with the baptism."

His Father also came forward, sounding reassuring, "Alex, I know you can do it. I saw it in your eyes when you fought against [Mana Fear]. Those were the eyes of someone who would never give up. If I wouldn't trust you that you couldn't do it, I would throw everyone out immediately and try to find another solution."

Scarlett also stood up, grabbed into her space pouch, and pulled out some flasks that looked like they could kill gods, "My my, what lovely encouraging words. However, we have a little change of plan, too."

Ipe tilted his head, "A change of plan?"

Marisia and Kairoso stared at her with something Alexander would describe as mistrust, but if he wanted to be precise, they were about to rip her a new one should she do something they didn't agree to.

Alexander quickly explained this before it could come to a fight, "My mana veins are destroyed. However, while it will hurt like Outer Circle, I want you, Mom, to only concentrate your energy on them first, and you, Ipe, can surely heal and strengthen them, right?"

It was an idea he got just yesterday, which he only told his Grandmother as his Mother was training her energy control. He wanted first to confirm if something like this was possible and tried before. Fortunately, it could be done, but there was a lot of risk involved since nobody had done such a thing to their knowledge.

Usually, it wasn't done since the training method was only for those with the demonic energy legacy, and it would make little sense. Now, though, it was reasonable. Since Alexander was about to get strengthened, he could at least try some new things either way. It would be a new discovery if he could improve his mana organs like this, and his Grandmother found the idea brilliant.

His Mother became nervous, "I don't think it is a good idea."

Ipe nodded while looking more intensely at Alexander, "I can recover them even if they are fully destroyed, so that isn't a problem. However, the pain will be on another level. Are you sure you want to go through this, Mr. Alexander?"

Alexander smiled tiredly, "Do it."

Marisia nodded toward Kairoso, who pulled out multiple talismans and activated them, hanging around the bed. They worked in a way that gave out an aura that would add up, but sadly, only to a certain point. After thirty of them, the aura wouldn't stack to a reasonable degree anymore, and the effect would become too minuscule. After his Father was done, he stepped toward the bed's end, activating his energy, which gave off an aura of relaxation, making everyone calmer.

All the while, all the fairies were on edge, ready to step in, should something about to happen. Green looked the grimmest, biting her lips, probably trying to calm down after the condescending tone of Ipe.

His Mother exhaled and inhaled a couple of times, closing her eyes and concentrating her energy. It was silent, and everyone saw how a ball of highly focused energy slowly materialized over him. From there, a little thread, thinner than Ocilia's, came out toward Alexander, stopping before his chest.

She opened her eyes and nodded toward Ipe, who walked to the other side of the bed and readied himself, emitting an incredibly soothing energy. The residue was enough to heal him on the same level as one of Green's fairies. After another moment, an almost transparent tree appeared behind him, with rakes made out of energy slowly moving toward Alexander.

Ipe said, entirely concentrated, "Ready."

His Mother nodded at him, "Good..." and looked at Alexander, "...do you truly want me to start with your mana veins?"

Alexander smiled cheekily, "Yeah, let's get it over with."

From the bed's end came a burst of booming laughter and an incredible amount of aura, calming everyone even more down, "Guhahaha! That's my boy!"

However, he suddenly saw his Grandmother walking beside Ipe, popping the first flask and making his face crease as the smell terrified him. Only through the aura of Ipe and his Father could he avoid getting into shock from the scent, "This is what I would call a true Leonandra, haha!..." She looked at the flask first and then at Alexander, "...so, I need your mouth to stay open at all times since I will drip minuscule amounts into it. Got it?"

Alexander suddenly had doubts, 'Come one, buddy, you will only be poisoned by something which looks like hell...' He answered, barely audible, "...sure."

He opened his mouth slightly, which made his Grandmother smile, making her pull something out like a gag with an opening, "Alex, while I trust that you can endure it, I am not so sure that your body will not spasm out, so be a good boy and say ah."

Alexander widened his mouth more and let the gag, made out of some firm material, be put on him. After his Grandmother secured it, she patted him, "Good boy, now you can bite as much as you want. Okay?"

Alexander couldn't voice much except some affirming sounds, "Aha."

After the preparations were done, his Mother nodded and looked sternly at him, "This will hurt, but so you know, we all love you."

Before he could voice anything, the thread, made out of demonic energy, descended toward his chest, and the moment it touched him, all he wished was for death. His Mother tried to force it through his chest into his mana veins, destroying them further.

However, before he could concentrate on his skills, trying to ignore the pain, he heard his Grandmother say, "First drop, Feuerblood poison for heat resistance. Be ready, Ipe."

Alexander saw how his Grandmother put a drop into a small glass water bottle, making it reddened, only to shove the bottle into his mouth, making him drink it.

He felt hot. Incredible heat invaded his body, making him sweat and feel like his innards were burning up while thousands of insects dissected his mana veins, 'Fucking hell! Bad idea, Alex! You fucking moron!'

Alexander bit with everything he had into the gag, closing his eyes, not caring if he would jam his jaw. Yet, in the next moment, he suddenly felt much better, like being tucked into a soft and warm blanket while it was freezing cold outside.

It was comfy, but only for a moment, till the pain from recovering his innards and mana veins felt like thousands of needles trying to stitch everything back in record time. It was only the beginning, but it was already too much for him, making him break one of his fangs as he pushed his teeth and fangs into the gag even further.

After a moment, the cycle started anew. Alexander felt some liquid pushed down his throat, which brought a multitude of effects with it—Hotness, coldness, desperation, pain, etc. All the while, his mana veins were destroyed over and over again.

It iterated thoroughly, only giving him a short moment to breathe in between. He tried to distract himself with thoughts about many things, but they were too chaotic, always returning to the torture he chose.

Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery. Pain, healing, recovery.

After what felt like an eternity, everything slid into numbness, far away from the world of pain and torture. He suddenly felt as if everything around him had become nothing. Only the pain and his thoughts were there. The skill usage became natural, his pain became more numb by the moment, and his mind descended into a void, trying to block out what his body felt.

Alexander wanted this. He didn't only want to recover again but also become more powerful. He was scared when he almost died, and the only way to avoid such a scenario again or defend his loved ones from such a destiny was only through sheer strength, by any means necessary.

Before that event, he took it somewhat seriously but also not, as he couldn't believe someone would be that stupid to attack him. So he trained not only to become more powerful but also to kill his boredom. However, the fun was over, and he wouldn't count on lady luck again to save his sorry ass.

Inside the void of his mind, the only voice that gave him the determination not to stop, squeal, and beg for release was that he never wanted to lose anyone again, like on Earth. The pain he felt in losing his parents was far worse back then than what he was exposed to now. If he could have one more day with them, he would endure such torture for decades.

Alexander was ready to use every possibility, never mind what he needed to endure, to get stronger, more intelligent, more prosperous, and build more connections without scruples. However, he had a moral compass that he didn't want to lose and become someone unhinged. His plans never changed to better the world so it could become more like Earth.

Alexander wanted everything while not losing anything. He knew it was stupid and idealistic, but so was his death and being reborn in another world. Why not go all in and bet on a single hand? Moronic, idiotic, insane was what he would call himself, but so what? He was all those things and much more. He didn't want to lose any of those traits while taking everything he would need to achieve his ideal.

"... ex..."

Alexander came out of his thoughts hearing someone speak. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the artificial light of a mana item. He looked around, seeing his Mother, thoroughly drenched in sweat and huffing, barely able to catch a breath, "Are you alright?"

He looked to the other side, seeing Ipe, who leaned against the wall, barely able to stand. The dryad only nodded toward him and closed his eyes, trying to relax.

His Father sat on a chair further away, gesturing that he was fine, even though he looked like someone had poured buckets of water over him, exhausted and breathing heavily.

Everyone else was also there, not having left the room. His Grandmother smiled from ear to ear while patting Lili. The fairies were in the corner, just waiting and, by the literature they had around them, probably learning, which was a good sign to him since it was boring enough for them to ignore him, and boring also meant that everything went as it should.

Alexander felt that he wasn't wearing the gag anymore and tried to say something, "Whaff..." His Mother stopped him, "...wait, your teeth, fangs, and jaw broke..." She looked towards Ipe, "...do you have enough stamina to heal him so he can speak?"

Ipe nodded and stood up, wobbling toward Alexander, "Of course..." When he came close, he put Alexander's head between his hands, and after no more than some seconds and some excruciating pain, he could talk again, "Argh, thanks Ipe."

He nodded and walked back to the wall, sitting down, probably meditating. Alexander looked around, though, trying to use his stiff jaw and doing some mouth movements, "What happened?..." He looked out the window, seeing the moons, "...is it over?"

His Mother nodded, "For today. What can you remember?"

Alexander thought about it and tried to tell, "It was bizarre. I felt excruciating pain and tried to concentrate on other things while enduring it."

His Mother nodded, "You blacked out many times and woke up shortly after. However, you did well, but..." She bit her fingernail, "...we need much longer."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

This time, his Grandmother said ecstatically, "Because you are a little genius, that's why, haha!"

Before he could ask more, his Mother wanted to explain, "It's..." However, his Father interrupted her and explained instead, "Relax, my little flower, and let me..." His Mother nodded, and he continued, "...Ipe and your Mother only tried to strengthen your mana veins, and usually they would be done today, but after more than ten hours, they weren't even close to being finished."

Alexander looked in shock, but before he could say anything, his Father continued, "Don't worry. Your body is fine... more than fine. We don't know what it is, but your body is as robust as someone who underwent decades of training. Even after using potions with poison, hexes, and curses, it broke down much slower than expected."

Green interjected, "It could be either your training, the [Experience] you accumulated, or something else entirely. This is not important, though..."

He raised an eyebrow, "I am confused. What does it now mean?"

Scarlett stood up and walked to him, her enthusiasm never dampened, "We want to give you a choice..." She shook her head, "...sorry, I meant they want to do it while I know your answer to the question if you want to continue..."

She stood before him, a smile full of greed and pride showing, "...you will go through this and worse for the next month. The pain will increase to something far beyond your imagination while this was only the first taste of what is to come..." She leaned slightly forward, "...so, do you want to continue? If not, we will do the minimum in breaking down your body and just patch you up so you can endure your duties as a judge."

Alexander smirked at her, "I don't like how dramatic you are..." he looked from side to side, "...I want to, but can Mom and Ipe actually go through this?"

His Mother exhaled strongly and nodded, "No problem."

Ipe, on the other hand, was already dozing off, breathing shallowly. So Scarlett answered for him, shrugging, "He can and will."

Alexander sounded enthusiastic, but his smile was far from joyful, as he felt unimaginable dread to go through this much longer than needed. However, he was determined, "Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow?"