***
Zaire definitely said that Delight was experimented on.
The moment I heard the word ‘experiment,’ a memory I didn’t realize I had resurfaced.
A long time ago, when I was the Great Archmage Sherina, I had witnessed an experiment. Unfortunately, it was an unpleasant one.
No. It can’t be that.
It must not be that.
…I have to find out what kind of experiment Delight was subjected to.
But before that, I need to restore Delight’s mana.
It seems that all this time, without any proper method, Delight has been enduring the outbursts on his own.
And the moment I found out that Delight had a problem with mana surges…
For the first time, I felt grateful that I had reincarnated.
Without knowing the cause of the mana surges, a complete cure would be impossible.
However.
‘If I create a device to control the surges, it should be fine.’
Of course, just knowing this doesn’t mean anyone could create such a device.
‘But I can do it.’
That’s why I was the great Great Archmage.
At the very least, with my abilities, I could suppress Delight’s mana surges.
While others might not be able to, I had a method when it came to Delight’s mana.
‘I never thought the methods I learned in war would be used in this way.’
There was a time during the war when I destroyed a mage’s mana.
Each mage’s mana has its unique properties.
And when influenced by a stronger mage’s mana, the weaker mana would get damaged.
Of course, no matter how much they attacked each other with magic, it was rare for it to directly affect their mana.
But much later, I realized that it could be used differently.
It was when Delight had badly injured himself by using magic incorrectly, and I was treating him.
Delight learned the basics of mana usage step by step from me.
Perhaps because of that, even when my mana influenced his, instead of harming him, it actually helped him grow and heal.
The only issue was that I had to use a lot of mana.
Fortunately, for Delight’s stability, Zaire had dismissed all the mages guarding the door.
Moreover, the protective barrier that had been activated due to Delight’s mana surges was still in place in the room.
While the barrier was maintained, no mana would leak outside the room.
That meant…
‘No one will know even if I use magic.’
The conditions were perfect for me to use magic freely.
Delight was unconscious, so there was no risk of him waking up midway.
I immediately created a magic circle over Delight’s body.
Then, I created another one on my own body.
As the two identical magic circles were activated, it was as if my magic circle was absorbed by Delight’s.
Even though Delight was unconscious, his body trembled as if another surge was about to occur.
“Calm down.”
A short, concise command.
Simultaneously, Delight’s convulsions subsided, and he became calm.
“Whew, it’s done.”
The magic circle was absorbed by Delight’s mana.
That magic circle would now serve as a shackle to control his surges.
For the first time since my reincarnation, I had used a massive amount of mana.
It was tiring after such intense concentration, something I hadn’t done in a long time.
“Whew…”
This disciple really requires a lot of attention.
I lightly flicked Delight’s forehead and lay down beside him.
Now I need to let him know that the mana surges should be okay.
‘What excuse should I make?’
As I lay there, trying to gather my thoughts, a good idea suddenly came to mind.
Of course, there was that!
‘Undilarod.’
It’s a common plant, often considered a weed.
In most cases, it is unsightly, tough, and useless, so it is one of the first things removed when managing a garden.
However, this weed is actually quite effective as a medicinal herb for mages who are unable to control their mana or have been injured due to misuse of magic.
The problem is that this fact is not widely known, so it is still treated as a harmful weed.
‘I found out about it by chance.’
It seemed like a good excuse to say that I used it to calm Delight’s mana surge.
Furthermore, since Undilarod has a calming effect, if Delight continues to take it regularly, it will help stabilize his mana.
Of course, I’ll have to come up with an excuse for how I knew about it and how I managed to get Delight to take it.
‘I’ll think about that later.’
For now, the first thing I need to do is find some Undilarod before Delight wakes up!
Ugh.
I got out of bed and was about to step outside for a moment when…
“Huh?”
I was startled when I accidentally glanced at the mirror near the bed.
I moved closer to the mirror to take a closer look.
“Why do I look like this?”
Violyana, the Princess of Promian and Delight’s daughter.
She had pink hair and green eyes resembling Delight’s.
But the reflection in the mirror now showed…
‘My hair is orange.’
That was the color of the Great Archmage Sherina’s hair.
And as for my eyes…
“Only one is blue.”
The left eye remained green like Delight’s, but the right eye had turned blue like Sherina’s.
What’s going on?
Until now, when I used minor magic, there had been no changes.
But now, seeing my appearance change like this…
‘Could it be because I used a lot of mana all at once?’
Today, there was only one difference compared to other days.
And if using a lot of mana caused this change in appearance…
‘Does that mean even though I reincarnated as Violyana, my mana is still Sherina’s?’
Mana, though it may appear similar, has different properties for each sorcerer. Mana is unique to each mage.
So even though I am now Violyana, my mana is still Sherina’s.
“………..”
It’s an obvious fact, so why does it feel so strange?
Even though I’ve been living as Violyana, I always thought of myself as Sherina, Delight’s teachet and the Great Archmage.
‘But maybe that’s not entirely true.’
Considering how awkward it feels to see Sherina’s hair and eyes again after so long…
‘Do I actually prefer my current life?’
Honestly, that’s a bit surprising.
In any case, I’ll need to be cautious whenever I use a lot of mana in the future.
Fortunately, Delight is unconscious right now, so no one saw this.
‘But when will I return to normal?’
I can’t go out like this, so I squatted in front of the mirror and waited.
‘Oh? My eye color is back to normal.’
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for my right eye to turn green again.
As I suspected, it seems that when I use a large amount of mana at once, my appearance temporarily reverts to that of the Great Archmage Seirna.
After some time, I reverted to my appearance as Violyana.
“Ugh.”
I stood up, dusting myself off.
Now that I confirmed that I had returned to my original appearance, it was time to move.
I should cover my head somehow.
‘What can I use?’
I glanced around quickly and noticed a pillow next to Delight.
‘That’ll do.’
I dashed over, removed the pillow cover, and wrapped it around my head.
Hmm, it kind of looks like a scarf.
It adequately covered my hair.
I carefully opened the door and peeked outside.
As expected, there was no one around.
Time to hurry and find that Undilarod.
I ran down the corridor with determination.
I rushed outside but…
“Ouch!”
I accidentally bumped my head against someone’s chest.
‘No way! My hair probably hasn’t returned to normal yet.’
I quickly bowed my head, clutching the pillow cover wrapped around my hair like a scarf.
“Are you… okay?”
A voice asked if I was okay, but I ignored it and ran off.
They likely realized I was the princess and probably thought I was sneaking out for some fun.
‘They didn’t see my hair… right?’
I covered it so quickly, and even if they did catch a glimpse, they’d just think they were mistaken.
Before running into anyone else, I need to find a spot where the Undilarod might be.
I sprinted as fast as my short legs could carry me.
I made my way to a secluded area in the garden, away from prying eyes.
The less maintained it is, the better the chances are.
But…
“Look at how diligent the palace staff are…”
My voice trailed off, feeling disheartened.
Even the remote corners of the garden were impeccably maintained, with no weeds in sight.
“It’s fine. I’ll find something.”
Surely, there must be at least one or two hidden somewhere.
I started searching around the base of trees and in less obvious spots.
“Phew… There’s nothing.”
I searched diligently but couldn’t find a single one.
And now, I was already exhausted.
Sigh. The stamina of a child is always surprising.
At least my hair is back to normal.
I pulled my hair forward to check, and it was pink again.
Luckily, it didn’t take long to revert.
But seriously, is it possible that there isn’t a single weed left in this garden?
If that’s the case, I might have to venture outside the palace to find some.
‘That’s a risky move.’
For now, I’ll keep looking a little longer! There might still be a spot I missed!
With renewed determination, I started heading toward an even more hidden part of the garden.
“Let me go!”
What was that sound?
A distressed voice came from not too far away.
“Grrr!”
“Let me go! Let me go!”
Following the growling of a dog, the voice I heard was undoubtedly Serdin’s.
