[Lifespan Remaining: 24 hours.]
Noct jolted awake with a hand pressed against his side.
He remembered the sword cutting into him, the pain and the adrenaline were still there, even if only briefly.
“…Young Master?”
Noelle was sitting beside his bed.
The moment she noticed his eyes were open, she wiped at her eye, where Noct could see that it was a little red.
“How do you feel?”
“…Surprisingly good.”
He pushed himself up, expecting some pain or maybe dizziness.
But when none of that came at all, Noct finally noticed that the sword wound that was supposed to be at his side was completely gone.
“How long was I out?”
“Several hours…”
“The Ambrosia, did they—?”
“I’ve already administered it, Young Master. As instructed.”
Noct’s eyes widened, not sure if she was telling the whole truth.
But in the corner of his vision on the bedside table, there was a small glass vial that was empty.
Just from seeing the design of the vial, he could already tell it was made for something important.
“You actually got it?”
“Yes.”
“From Vivienne?”
“Not exactly.”
He leaned back against the bedframe, trying to gather his thoughts.
He had expected to spend at least another hour arguing over the reward, even with half the family and servants having heard her promise.
Ambrosia belonged to his father’s treasury.
Vivienne could announce whatever she wanted in front of a crowd.
Actually getting the treasury opened was another matter entirely.
‘Especially after that look on her face.’
Yet, something Noelle seemed to have left something out of her statement.
“Wait, who instructed you to—”
“It was His Highness.”
“…Father? He sent word?”
“Yes, Young Master,” Noelle shook her head.
“His Highness returned to the estate while you were unconscious.”
‘Amon de Arcadia is here?’
That certainly hadn’t been part of his expectations.
In Ending Fantasy, the Duke’s name came up long before the man himself ever appeared.
Any type of trouble, whether it be monster outbreaks, dangerous criminals, or clashes against the supernatural…
Somehow, Amon de Arcadia always seemed to be involved.
And yet, there was a good reason for that.
He was one of the few in this country—no, in this entire continent who held an 8-Star Class.
And like his title, the class was called: The Archmage.
It was almost the pinnacle of the same path Noct had barely begun as a Mage.
To most people, advancing even once was an accomplishment.
Amon had done it seven times, reaching a level where his presence alone could change whether a neighboring country dared to go to war with Rexford or not.
And next to that, the title of Duke was mostly for decoration, even if he was the King’s younger brother.
He had land, subjects, and an estate large enough to get lost in, but other people handled most of those responsibilities.
The kingdom had a much more pressing use for him.
Wherever his power was needed, Amon was sent.
And more often than not, that meant the Northern Frigid Lands.
Noct remembered the region quite well.
Even late in the game, wandering too far from its established routes was a good way to lose an entire party.
Keeping those threats in the north was apparently a full-time occupation.
‘Which brings up the question of why he’s at home now…’
Regardless, the timing couldn’t be any better.
It was probably due to his influence that Noct could achieve his goal easily.
“…How much does he know?”
Noelle folded her hands in front of her.
“He asked for an account of everything that happened during his absence. And naturally, I had to comply.”
Noct nodded.
Whatever Amon intended to do with that information, he could worry about it later.
There was something he needed to confirm first.
‘Status.’
The blue panel appeared in front of him at once.
His eyes moved through the information, slowly reading everything to make sure it was there.
And sure enough.
〔Skill Acquired: Mana-Lifeforce Synthesis [★★★★★★★]〕
“…Seven?!” Noct accidentally said aloud.
“Something the matter, Young Master?”
“N-nothing…”
〔Skill Description: Converts external mana into life force.〕
‘It’s really here…!’
Noct wasn’t sure if this was the thing that would save his life, as in the original story, the same skill was only used when you were running low on HP and needed a quick pick-me-up.
But this wasn’t a game, and a skill like this was the only way to prolong his life and hopefully find a cure.
“There’s something else, Young Master.”
Noelle moved toward the near table just as Noct looked up.
She returned carrying a small wooden box, plainly decorated with a red tarp that was engraved with Arcadia’s insignia.
“His Highness has asked me to give this to you.”
“…Another gift?”
“He said this was compensation for the headaches caused.”
“He did?”
He accepted the box, slowly running his hand on the wood grain.
Even from the outside, Noct could feel something emanating strong mana from within.
‘Could this be…?’
As soon as he lifted the lid, cold air brushed his face where there was none before.
Resting in a dark lining was a pale blue crystal, roughly the size of his fist.
Dense currents of mana moved around a white center, slowly folding over one another.
“This is…a monster core.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“A 7-Star monster core.”
Noelle nodded, clearly already having seen the thing inside.
She sat back down in her seat, simply looking at his reaction.
Noct recognized the white veins branching from inside the crystal.
In the game, cores with that appearance came from creatures found deep within the Northern Frigid Lands, and the only 7-Star monster that resides there is…
‘An ice dragon…’
He was eventually planning to go hunt for monster cores or mana crystals to supplement his lifeforce as soon as he got his hands on the Ambrosia, but who knew one with such high-quality would just end up in his lap.
“Did Father say why he chose this?” Noct glanced over to his maid.
“No, Young Master. Only that it was yours.”
“Nothing about what I should do with it?”
“No.”
Even as an apology, this was excessive.
A resource like this could easily be used to power powerful magic or even support someone’s Class advancement.
‘Did he know all along…?’
The thought settled unpleasantly in his mind.
Had Amon known what Ambrosia could do?
Had he understood how it might interact with the curse?
If so, why wait until now?
Dozens of questions popped up, but he knew that Amon wouldn’t give a straight answer even if he asked.
So instead of questioning it further, he placed a hand on the core.
〔Mana-Lifeforce Synthesis [★★★★★★★] — Activated.〕
Slowly, thin currents of white-blue started to enter his body from the fingertips.
It was cold enough to make his hand ache, but as it traveled farther into his body, the sensation turned into a warmth that spread into every individual pore.
And before he even knew it, the thing he was holding was nothing more than an empty husk, completely dried up.
〔Trait Acquired: Cold-Bodied [★★★★★]〕
〔Trait Description: Your body temperature will always remain somewhat cold, allowing rapid regeneration as well as slower degradation.〕
‘Interesting, so that ice dragon core did contain one of its [Traits].
I guess I got lucky that it was still inside when Father had brought it from so far away.’
But more importantly, Noct had his eyes glued to his status panel, waiting for a single change.
He had been staring at this one panel since coming to this world.
And the next time it updated…would prove whether his plan succeeded or not.
Whether Noct de Arcadia…could continue living in this world.
[Lifespan Remaining: 30 days, 23 hours, 50 minutes.]
“I fucking did it…”