Path of the Extra Chapter 397: Chaotic Mana

Childhood friends.

Anastasia's recent words echoed endlessly in Lumine’s head like a broken record while he stood rooted, likely showing a foolish, dazed look. She flashed her signature shadowy smirk, openly displaying the icy clash in her gem-like eyes.

Master Ranni regained her composure first. She questioned in a hesitant voice,

"Are... are you perhaps a child of the Great Clans?"

Yet Ranni quickly shook her head.

"No. Apologies—that was inappropriate of me to ask."

It shouldn't have made a difference if Anastasia was or wasn't. It sort of did, but Ranni still felt it wasn't her right to inquire so directly.

Still—what other explanation fit?

A typical noble from the Lesser Clans would never dare proclaim anything so risky.

Unless...

Unless Anastasia wasn't any ordinary noble.

Unless she held royal blood. A princess, just like Celestina and Jasmine.

Lumine recalled that day in their Void-hunting lesson, when they got grouped together.

...He recalled reaching them—Anastasia and Princess Celestina—amid a fierce clash.

Indeed. Nobody would be foolish enough to provoke and enrage the Frost Clan's successor.

Nobody, save for another successor.

Without Azriel's intervention that day, Anastasia and Celestina would have battled.

Azriel...

That idea shifted Lumine's focus elsewhere.

As Yelena bombarded Anastasia with queries—aiming to uncover her true identity—Anastasia evaded, nicknaming her "Yeli" to annoy her more.

Lumine turned his attention to Vergil instead.

The youth remained composed.

Far too composed.

Lumine squinted at that subtle, inscrutable smile. Day by day, Vergil seemed less like the person Lumine first knew.

That unreadable stare—beyond Lumine's grasp now.

That poise, as if he already knew it all.

Vergil possessed knowledge he shouldn't have. Revelations that ought to stun him never provoked even a twitch.

He seemed aware of Anastasia's secret too.

Yelena failed to extract any info from her still.

He knew Anastasia's true nature.

Lumine shut his eyes.

He drew in a deep breath, exhaled gradually, steadied his pounding heart, and reopened his eyes.

Then Lumine addressed them in the steadiest tone possible.

"If we go by Anastasia’s words, then we’re in serious trouble. We need to save Saintess Liliane, stop Prince Lioren from sending us to our deaths, and—if he’s willing to go that far—I doubt he intends to use the wish to ’end’ the scenario."

Had ending the scenario been the aim, it would have occurred already. No—this stemmed from greed. Greed for wish fulfillment. Leaving this alien realm, with its easier mana core cultivation and superior growth prospects, wasn't part of it.

For once, the system didn't seem rigged against him like in the Plague quest. This quest felt... essential.

A solid motive.

To rise as a key figure among these giants.

To safeguard himself—and his allies.

Living passively could no longer continue.

Lumine grasped that truth now.

To chase his ambition, he had to seize control—take charge.

"There is no 'we' here, Cadet Lumine."

Ranni’s voice cut from beside him—piercing, grave. Lumine’s head whipped toward her in surprise.

"You are not getting anywhere close to this unless you want to be caught in the crossfire of the Great Clans and die."

Her worry made sense. Once Lumine opposed Lioren, Caleus, Celestina, Jasmine—or any royals or nobles—even surviving the scenario wouldn't save him.

Their clans would hunt him down later.

"I suggest you all take shelter here, alongside the others who are waiting for the scenario to end. This place is under my protection." Ranni’s stare intensified. "I will rescue the Saintess, then confront Prince Lioren and Prince Caleus myself and find out what is truly going on."

Without that foreboding vote naming Lioren leader, perhaps this mess could have been prevented.

But whom could they fault?

Lioren had stepped up. He maintained a semblance of order—peace, no less. Like Nol and Vergil, his role had been crucial for countless survivors so far.

Others had too.

Anastasia abruptly chuckled, causing Ranni to scowl.

"And do what exactly when you confront him?" Anastasia taunted lazily. "You’re not beating him, Master Ranni. You know what they say about Prince Lioren Dusk—that he’s the strongest Master to have ever lived. As long as the odds are in his favor, he could defeat Grade 3 grandmasters, and possibly even Grade 2 grandmasters. So what do you think your confrontation leads to, besides certain death?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Ranni snapped, her composure barely containing a grimace.

A chill gripped Anastasia's gaze.

"To be honest, I figured you'd be the most peace-loving Master among us. I'm shocked, Master Ranni. Yet fighting it out won't get you anywhere. You'll only stir up mayhem. Your sole option is to force Lioren to yield—and he won't unless you dangle something he craves even more than that wish."

"However, success odds improve if a fellow Great Clan offspring speaks to him," Lumine interjected, grabbing the chance.

Anastasia nodded, satisfied.

"Princess Celestina and Princess Jasmine are the only possibilities. The Dusk twins and Veronica wouldn't risk defying Prince Caleus and Prince Lioren."

Yelena spoke while rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Then her confused eyes shifted to Anastasia.

"You've mapped out all this... yet you'd have sat idle if we hadn't raised it. What was your move if this talk never occurred? Obey Prince Lioren's scheme and perish?"

"Gods forbid," Anastasia snorted. "I'd have played along, slipped away at the perfect moment, and bided my time till the scenario wrapped up—secure and serene—from the shadows."

Her words flowed casually, with a lazy edge.

Still, Lumine sensed deceit in her final claim.

In a fleeting instant, a lethal spark flashed across her eyes—vanishing too swiftly for most to notice.

Lumine caught it.

And it wasn't minor.

Reflecting on it, the ring still curbed her mana core by a full rank. With her shown as Advanced...

She was truly an Expert.

A shiver ran through Lumine. The grudge Anastasia harbored toward the royals might explode into catastrophe swiftly, given any opening.

"Following your idea," Ranni stated, "which one's preferable—Princess Celestina or Princess Jasmine?"

Having advanced this far, she could adopt Anastasia's reasoning. The girl was haughty and grating, yet undeniably gifted with a razor-sharp intellect.

Ranni wondered about her pick.

But whom would Anastasia select?

Jasmine boasted a superior mana core rank over Celestina—for the moment. Each had just one clan knight here. The key gap lay in Sir Felix being a Master, whereas Sir Henrik remained a Grade 1 Expert—nearing breakthrough, yet not quite.

The Frost Clan offset this with eight Frost Army troops in the scenario; the Crimson Clan fielded merely five from theirs.

Nine envoys from Frost-aligned Lesser Clans.

Just four for Crimson.

What stunned Ranni—as well as Lumine, Yelena, and Vergil alike—was Anastasia's reply.

"Neither."

"...Huh?"

"Avoid both of them."

"Then who?" Yelena demanded. "Didn't you insist on a Great Clan member?"

Vergil even appeared intrigued.

A sly grin spread across Anastasia's face. She pivoted, strode to a pillar, slumped beside it, reclined leisurely, and shut her eyes like the discussion wearied her.

"I never specified an heir, right?"

Her eyes stayed closed. She merely exhaled.

"Lioren won't yield to Celestina or Jasmine. Worse, they'd ignite clan wars with the Dusk Clan. Far from foolish, they likely anticipate his treachery and hold countermeasures ready. Pitting them against him politicizes everything."

Her voice gained a sharper edge.

"Make it personal."

She hesitated, then mused, "Truth be told, Jasmine is a solid pick for personal stakes... though not the best timing. My top choice is another."

"Yet?" Yelena pushed. "Why Jasmine over Celestina?"

Anastasia brushed her off.

"I loathe all Great Clan folk," she declared abruptly—then laughed. "Save one. He's the sole person worthy of my esteem. Rather than groveling, he forged his own path. Forsaking the Great Clans as they forsook him."

Anastasia's eyes snapped open. The grin faded. Pure frost lingered.

"Any of you familiar with 'chaotic mana'?"

None of Lumine, Yelena, or Vergil responded to the query.

Noting their vacant stares, Ranni's face hardened in dismay. She cleared her throat to refocus them, adopting a lecturing demeanor.

"We term the mana of Void Creatures as chaotic mana. It may appear humans and Void Creatures share identical mana at first glance—but that's false. Research is scarce, yet established facts show: Void Creatures wield chaotic mana, humans orderly mana."

She pressed on steadily.

"We truly comprehend only one thing: what occurs when chaotic mana surges into an item crafted to soak up mana. The item shatters. That explains much of the delay in forging mana artifacts that can hold back Void Creatures. Their mana wrecks the artifacts without fail."

Anastasia gave a nod.

"Correct," she replied, her tone carrying satisfaction.

"The boy I hold in respect was born bearing a unique affliction known as chaotic mana."

Ranni frowned at once, folding her arms tightly.

"That's impossible. No human could be born with such mana. Only Void Creatures possess it."

"Yet it did occur." Anastasia shrugged, her smile reappearing—icier now.

"During his talent evaluation, the young prince's affliction came to light. He shattered numerous mana orbs, rendering his talent unmeasurable. The clan later understood the cause: chaotic mana akin to that of a Void Creature coursed through him. Like no ordinary human, he couldn't wield mana weapons, mana armor, or mana artifacts. Everyone thought he couldn't even harness his own mana correctly."

Anastasia burst into laughter, sending a chill creeping along Lumine’s back.

Vergil stared at her with icy intensity, his focus unbroken. For the first time, the mysterious 'not-seer' appeared truly stunned.

"It's utterly ridiculous! A human sharing mana with Void Creatures? To the Great Clans, he ranked no higher than them. And given Void Creatures' inherently inferior potential compared to humans, naturally he possessed zero talent! Kekekeke!"

She erupted into cackles.

"The Four Great Clans could never let the world learn of a human akin to a Void Creature among them. Thus, all four great kings and queens took the subsequent optimal step. As soon as whispers began circulating, they imposed a strict silence on all who held the secret."

Her grin grew razor-sharp.

"I'm uncertain, but I suspect a couple of them even began circulating their own tales—to ensure certainty. Twisting it more... and more... and more."

Her voice turned nearly ecstatic, nearly frenzied.

"The whispers proliferated and distorted without end. His reputation grew ever blacker, until nothing but falsehoods remained—no one knowing the origin of the tales, no one grasping his true nature..."

Her teeth flashed in the moonlight. Her grin turned wild.

Her eyes proved even more unsettling.

"...Azriel," Lumine whispered, breathless.

Anastasia's grin stretched to its maximum.

"So you recognize whom I mean."

"You're referring to Azriel..." Lumine's words emerged weakly.

"I am," Anastasia affirmed.

Vergil's eyes widened. Lumine instinctively looked his way.

"W-wait..." Yelena managed to say. "So those tales of 'the unworthy prince'... the great kings and queens fabricated them on purpose to conceal the facts?"

"Yeah." Anastasia shrugged. "Time erases memories. Drown the realm in sufficient venom, and truth becomes unknowable. Even those—barring his kin—who once knew of his chaotic mana have likely dismissed it, persuaded that he was indeed 'the unworthy prince.'"

She swept a stray hair back and let out a yawn.

"Azriel never truly tried disproving them. Certain tales held kernels of reality—his demeanor didn't aid matters—so it proved simple for all to accept his unworthiness."

The realization struck Lumine like a heavy burden. A throbbing pain clenched in his chest.

His admiration for Azriel held no deceit. True, doubts lingered about the prince—but Azriel had aided him nonetheless. He and Yelena owed the man immensely. In Lumine's view, Azriel remained virtuous—pending contrary evidence.

And yet...

He could never have imagined Azriel enduring such an existence. One forged from prejudice over an innate trait beyond his power—merely his birthright.

"I still fail to grasp why you aim to wield him against Prince Lioren," Ranni stated. She appeared rattled too. Despite her days alongside Azriel in the Forest of Eternity, it had escaped her notice.

"How does Azriel connect to halting Lioren?"

"Simple," Anastasia replied.

"I can't say if Azriel despises the Great Clans—his own most of all. Evidently, he cherishes his sister still, given how he vowed to tear off my head when last I insulted her."

Lumine recalled it vividly. Even recalling it now chilled his spine.

"Truthfully, I can't fathom his thoughts," Anastasia went on. "But this I know: Lioren and Azriel—the mightiest prince of the Great Clans... and the feeblest prince of the Great Clans..."

Her eyes sparkled.

"...share a bond from childhood."