To be reborn as a porcelain doll Part 14

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"They've hired a wizard to ensure the Crown Prince safely reaches the hunting grounds. According to rumors, this wizard is quite ruthless and has a heart as cold as ice. People call him the Heartless Dragon Vahenndart."

"A wizard, you say?"

"Hush, lower your voice! The Heartless Dragon Vahenndart might hear us! Rumor has it that he can even hear the casual conversations of people in the neighboring country's tavern!"

"Will you two continue gossiping just because there's a wizard? If the Crown Prince is in danger, then I'll show you the true meaning of heartlessness!"

The conversation between the two guards was interrupted by a man with red hair and a scar on his right eye. He wore a white armor with subtle golden embellishments, and at the center of the armor, there was a sword plunged into the heart of the sun.

The two guards quickly stopped chatting and distanced themselves, focusing on investigating potential dangers. Inside the carriage, Felix leaned against the seat, looking at Alyysia.

Alyysia sat tensely in the luxurious carriage, feeling a bit uneasy. Felix hadn't allowed Valnric to sit next to her, and Valnric, understanding the unspoken reasons, hesitated to make eye contact with Alyysia, a bit afraid of Felix's reaction.

Felix's attention shifted to the conversation outside, and then he reached for the wooden window, drawing the curtain as he asked the red-haired man, "Frod, what's going on?"

Frod respectfully approached the carriage and replied, "Nothing important, Your Highness. Just two guards gossiping. Please, focus on resting for the hunting competition; we're still far from the destination. I'll make sure to warn those two guards properly so they won't disturb you again."

Felix simply nodded, closing the curtain and leaning back. Though he partially closed his eyes, he still gazed at Alyysia's exposed skin from beneath his eyelashes.

From outside, Frod's scolding of the two guards could be heard. Felix's lips curled at the edges, and he muttered, "Same old Frod, always overly protective and disciplined."

The mention of the Heartless Dragon Vahenndart crossed Felix's mind. Vahenndart was one of the most powerful mages in the Krutal Empire, possessing all four mana rings. People didn't have much information about him, but his reputation for being ruthless and powerful had earned him the nickname Heartless Dragon.

Felix furrowed his brows. "But what shocked the entire high society was his marriage to a woman named Martina."

Nobles claimed that Martina's marriage to Vahenndart was merely an attempt to resolve financial troubles. Martina's family, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about marrying their daughter to this wizard. They were both pleased and displeased because they feared for their daughter's life, worrying that she might be killed by the Heartless Dragon Vahenndart.

Additionally, as wizards acquired new mana rings, they often faced difficulties in controlling the energy within these rings. If they lost control of the mana rings formed in their hearts, they would create a massive explosion, giving rise to a mana beast from the aftermath.

This phenomenon was termed "Mana Madness." The primary cause of Mana Madness was usually succumbing to emotions that wizards considered taboo because if a wizard gave in to their emotions, it spelled their doom. Wizards, therefore, developed various methods to dull or suppress emotions that could endanger them.

Wizards seeking the purpose of the universe and their own freedoms would not easily succumb to primitive emotions. Hence, all wizards were reputed to be cruel and ruthless. Rumors even suggested that some wizards went so far as to eat them own children for progress.

Felix, not being a formal wizard yet, did not harbor such concerns. If he had already risen as a formal wizard, he might have experienced Mana Madness by now. The thought made Felix shudder.

The reason Felix couldn't become a formal wizard was simple: he couldn't create a mana ring. Mana was a type of energy scattered throughout the universe with Chaos's wound. All the wizards on the current continent had wondered and researched why mana granted them godlike powers. Some had even attempted to trace Chaos's trace along with this mana.

However, almost attempts had failed, and every wizard who conducted this research eventually went mad, succumbing to death. Their deaths were terrifying: their pupils turned white, and they bled from their eyes and every opening in their bodies, losing blood until death. One particularly chilling case happened two centuries ago when Frod, hailed as the most powerful wizard of his time, sought to learn whether mana was truly scattered from Chaos to the universe or had always existed.

Rumors had it that Frod created an invocation spell to bring Chaos to this world, and he succeeded. When he learned all the secrets about mana, he burst into insane laughter, then experienced Mana Madness, causing the entire kingdom he lived in to turn into barren lands.

These barren lands were called the "Devil's Descent," completely desolate with soil made of a pitch-black, sticky substance. Wizards were curious about this soil and gathered there to investigate, but of a thousand wizards, only a hundred managed to return.

According to legends, those who witnessed Frod's twisted form after his Mana Madness found it chaotic and terrifying. Most of them either went mad or were killed by Frod. The hundred wizards who managed to return withdrew into seclusion, abandoning the path of wizardry to forget the horrifying incident.

Some wizards were still searching for those who escaped Frod's wrath. In fact, certain powerful wizards promised to reward those who found survivors from the Devil's Descent with more than a hundred billion mana stones. This insane figure could secure the prosperity and wealth of their descendants for generations, even if they buy all the lands in all the kingdoms.

Even a quarter of this amount was beyond reach, even if they sold all the lands in the kingdoms. Later, the story of the Devil's Descent and Frod became one of the hundred great mysteries for wizards, documented as they, for the first time, ceased their curiosity-driven exploration, fearing for their lives.

The only thing they knew about mana was that it must have been scattered throughout the universe when Chaos was wounded, according to religious texts. Frod was the only one who knew more, but he had long since gone mad and turned into a monster.

Church priests claimed that the deaths of wizards, who accumulated the demonic energy of Chaos in their bodies, were normal. According to them, anyone who abandoned the gods would have to face a gruesome fate.

Despite the priests' warning, mages continued to use mana and wizards created mana rings to better harness mana. These mana rings trapped magic, or mana, within the circle, allowing for easier manipulation and utilization. Additionally, the invention of mana rings facilitated the diversification of magic.

Before the creation of mana rings, wizards couldn't control the flow of mana properly. If they failed to control it, the mana could explode, causing harm to themselves. However, with the invention of mana rings, wizards no longer faced issues like overly concentrating or failing to concentrate mana, eliminating the risk of self-harm.

In other words, mana rings ensured a sufficient concentration of mana for magic in the world and the universe. It was akin to a dam preventing excess water from flowing, and wizards could draw from this reservoir whenever needed until it reached full capacity.

Felix reviewed the history and technique of magic in his mind, then began practicing the creation of mana rings with his fingers. If he couldn't create a mana ring, he wouldn't be officially recognized as having advanced as a wizard.

As Felix practiced, time swiftly passed by...