They soon reached Veralt. Their carriages marked their arrival as they rolled past the gates. Crowds gathered along the roads, eyes lighting up with recognition and joy as Count Arzan's carriage came into view.
Before Kai could process, the people were cheering, some waving with excited faces— respect and genuine warmth radiated through them.
Even though his visits had become frequent and routine, the joy on their faces as they saw his carriage filled him with warmth as if all his efforts over time hadn't gone unnoticed.
He saw how Amara glimmered with wonder as she leaned slightly out of the window, soaking in the sights of Veralt.
The city was renovating after the beast wave, and a lot of things were falling back into place. Some houses and roads were better than they had been before. It was visible, and by how people proudly showed their homes and shouted their gratitude, Kai knew the city was slowly recovering.
Passing the several houses that were fully reconstructed and half-finished wooden structures wrapped in scaffolding, he was met with a rhythmic loud noise of hammers and the synced shouts of workers and merchants through the road.
Even in the middle of all that chaos, Amara drew attention. People looked at her curiously as she waved back at the crowd. Her smile was small and hesitant, but nevertheless, it was there. It wouldn't be long before whispers spread, questions forming about the princess beside him.
"Your city looks good," she said, turning back to him. Her voice was soft, and thoughtful.
Kai's eyes, sharp yet unreadable, flicked to the scene outside. "Does it?" he replied. "We are still constructing a lot of things."
He said, realising that they were drawing closer to the castle.
She nodded, glancing once more at the faces in the crowd. "I can see that. But the people look excited to see you. I mean it when I say that you are a good lord, Count Arzan."
A moment of silence stretched between them, broken only by the clatter of carriage wheels.
He nodded, a hint of something unreadable passing over his expression before he turned his gaze ahead.
The carriage rolled to a stop before the castle gates.
They stepped out of the carriage as the grand doors of the castle opened, revealing Francis, Claire, and a handful of maids standing at attention.
Francis bowed deeply as Kai approached, only to pause mid-motion when he noticed the princess by his side. His brows knitted as if he was trying to remember who she was before glancing back at Kai.
"This is Princess Amara, daughter of King Sullivan and Queen Regina," Kai said with a nod in her direction. She smiled gracefully at Francis who suddenly looked a little pale. "She will be staying here for a while."
Francis's eyes widened but he quickly masked himself with a bow. The other maids gasped softly before lowering themselves into deep curtsies. "Your Highness," Francis said. "We are honoured by your presence. Rest assured, you will have every comfort, and I will personally see to it that your stay here is without trouble."
Amara's kind gaze swept over them. "Thank you. I hope you will take care of me while I'm here."
"Of course, Princess Amara," Francis replied, bowing again. His tone left no doubt that he would mobilise the entire household to meet her needs.
Kai turned to Amara, the briefest flicker of concern crossing his eyes. "One of the maids will show you to your room. Forgive us if we lack the full regalia you may be accustomed to. We're not used to hosting royalty."
Amara shook her head with a soft smile. "That won't be a problem, Count Arzan. I thank you for the warm reception," she said, leaning in and speaking the next few words in a whisper. "So, when can we start the surgery?"
His eyes hardened slightly as he thought over all the things he would need for the surgery. "Tomorrow. I need tonight to prepare everything, but we will begin first thing in the morning."
She nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing.
"Please, show her the way," Francis ushered a maid, noticing how the conversation had died.
Francis broke his reverie yet again. "Do you really think she'll answer our questions? She is royalty, after all. There are loyalties even desperation cannot break."
"Yes," Kai said, the certainty in his voice surprising even him. "Amara is different. She's a princess, yes, but neglected, always on the periphery of power. And it's true that she's grateful for me saving her. Nobles loathe being in someone's debt, Francis. It grates at their pride. I can leverage that. If the surgery succeeds, she'll feel bound to repay me."
Francis's brow furrowed as he absorbed the plan. "Are you confident, Lord Arzan? Confident you can heal her?"
"I'm confident in knowing what needs to be done to heal her heart. But with magic, so much relies on the patient. She'll need to do a lot of the heavy lifting herself."
The silence that followed was heavy, but not with doubt. It was the kind of silence that signalled preparation, a breath before plunging into the unknown. By tomorrow, he hoped, they would have a few more answers— and fewer shadows obscuring the truth.
***
Mana surgeries were an... art but a risky one at that. They came in many forms, shapes and sizes, depending on the organ being treated and the level of damage.
At the simplest end of the spectrum, there were minor surgeries, like unblocking a mana vein or clearing a buildup of stagnated energy. These were almost routine, simple procedures that even Novice Mages could perform with proper training. The body's mana flow could be restored with little risk, and the patient would typically recover with minimal disruption to their life.
But not all mana surgeries were so benign. When it came to more complex operations, such as repairing damage to the mana brain— where one's ability to sense and control mana originated— the risks multiplied. The mana brain was far more fragile than most believed, and surgery there was a high-stakes gamble. The precision required was a level of mastery that few possessed, and failure could result in permanent cognitive damage, leaving the patient with impaired magic or, worse, no magic at all.
The heart, however, was perhaps the trickiest organ of all. As fickle as it was essential, the heart was the lifeblood of any Mage.
During mage duels, the heart was often targeted, and Mages would use all manner of techniques to strike at this vulnerable organ. Even with armour, the heart was prone to damage— both external and internal. Armour could shield the physical heart, but there were still ways to target the mana within.
A ruptured heart, however, was a different beast altogether.
When a heart was ruptured, it meant that the damage wasn't just superficial. The external boundaries were torn, but the internal mana channels— the astral part of the heart— were split open as well.
A Mana heart rupture wasn't just a physical injury; it meant the very core of the Mage's life force had been compromised. In a case like that, no ordinary binding or healing spell would suffice. The external part could be repaired, but the astral damage would require a much more difficult procedure, one that demanded complete control over both the physical and astral realms, including her mana circles.
That's where Kai's dilemma lay.
Even though he could mend the external injuries to Amara's heart, the astral damage required a level of mastery he hadn't attempted in years— he would need to enter the very core of her mana to heal her. And that, in itself, was a dangerous and taxing procedure that demanded as much from him as it would from her.
That was why, despite everything, he had decided against attempting the surgery in the capital. Not only was the setting less than ideal for such an operation, but Amara's body wasn't ready to handle the strain. He needed her to fully understand the risks before she agreed to go through with it.
The next day, he entered her room and prepared to speak frankly with Amara.
"We will begin the surgery. But I need you to understand the full extent of what's going to happen."
Amara tilted her head, listening intently, her eyes wide with anticipation. "What will happen, Count Arzan?"
The question was broad, and he didn't know any way to shorten the answer.
He gave a brief description about the mana surgery and why it was so complicated before finally moving to the conclusion. "...The surgery will not be easy. I can repair the external damage to your heart, but the inner astral injuries will require... deeper intervention. I'll need to enter your body, and that could be quite strenuous on you. You have to be prepared."
She blinked, her expression flickering through a range of emotions at his words. He wasn't able to understand all of them, but he noticed her maid, Anya, going pale beside her.
"So... you will be inside me?" Amara asked, her eyes slowly widening.
***
A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon.