Chapter 20
The taste of mages' blood varies depending on what type of magic they've mastered. To ordinary people, it all tastes the same metallic flavor, but vampires could clearly discern the differences.
Fire mages' blood has a spicy taste, while ice mages' blood tastes cool. Those who use destruction magic have a tingling taste, and unique magic users all had different tastes, but they all shared a sweetness.
Among these, the most preferred mage's blood was undoubtedly that of those who had mastered unique magic. Because various flavors flowed through the intense sweetness, it was universally liked without any polarizing opinions. However, due to low supply, it was traded at very high prices, and even with money, it was hard to obtain. It was such a rare resource that even nobles might taste it only once in ten years.
This ecstatic blood taste swirled on Elena's tongue.
"...It's delicious."
Elena was just barely an adult by vampire standards. She had only tasted unique magic users' blood once or twice in her life, and even then, she couldn't drink much as it was something the Archduke treasured. But she remembered how good that blood tasted.
However, Acel's blood taste far surpassed that level. Not only had he mastered unique magic, but he also used many types of magic. Naturally, the various magical powers contained in his blood blended to create a better taste than other mages.
Of course, Elena didn't know these details, but such things weren't particularly important to her. What mattered was that Acel's blood taste was exceptionally good beyond imagination, and that she felt filled with magical power after drinking just a few drops.
"More... I want more..."
She licked the blood drop formed on Acel's fingertip with an ecstatic expression. Acel pulled his hand back in alarm at the slippery and hot sensation.
"...What are you doing?"
"Ah, ah. My blood bag..."
"Who's a blood bag?"
Acel looked at Elena with drooping corners of his mouth as he roughly treated the wound and stood up. Elena also got up, smacking her lips. Even though there should be almost no blood left, seeing her continuously licking her lips, it seemed she liked it quite a lot.
I hope I won't get pounced on later.
Beasts that have tasted human blood tended to crave human flesh. Acel felt that her eyes looking at him seemed somewhat ominous for some reason, and he opened his mouth.
"Now it's your turn. Use any blood manipulation technique."
"..."
"Answer."
"Ah, ah! Okay! I'll show you!"
Elena, who had been staring blankly at Acel's face, seemed to come to her senses and said in a hurried voice as she lightly bit her finger to make a wound.
A small wound. From this wound that should have ended with just a slight bleeding, blood flowed out like a waterfall, forming a round sphere next to Elena. As Elena injected her will into the sphere, it began to change into an elongated spear shape.
[Blood Flow Shaping]
[Blood Spear]
The created spear was grasped in Elena's hand. Elena immediately gripped the spear in reverse and threw it beyond the bushes.
[Blood Flow Acceleration]
[Body Enhancement]
The explosively flowing blood increases her physical abilities. She threw the magically drawn spear with a warrior's body. A sound of not just cutting but tearing through the wind was heard, and a huge impact sound echoed from beyond the bushes. Acel concentrated magical power in his vision to confirm what she had hit.
It was a golem. The lower half of a golem that had been stealthily creeping towards them was thoroughly shattered and rolling on the ground.
After confirming this sight, Elena stretched out her hand to retrieve the thrown spear. The blood-colored long spear settled gently into her grasp.
She swung the spear to shake off the stone dust and looked at Acel with a triumphant expression.
"How was that, how was that? Amazing, right?"
"...It is amazing indeed."
Acel honestly acknowledged it. Frankly, it was amazing.
He knew that blood manipulation was a completely different power from magic. The power they handle as a race was closer to a supernatural ability. A miracle that could freely control blood under one's dominion and arbitrarily twisted its form and nature. That was why they weren’t bound by things like magical power or aura.
The techniques Elena just used were the same. Drawing out the spear was similar to magic, and enhancing the body was similar to aura. The race's unique ability was a blessing that allowed the use of all these different powers.
Blood magic would be closer to blood flow shaping.
He had never seen their magic directly. However, since blood flow shaping was the power closest to magic among blood manipulation techniques, he could guess that it would be related to that. Acel established a spell formula in his mind while recalling the blood flow shaping Elena had shown.
"Heheh, I am pretty amazing!"
The moment Elena uttered this while looking at Acel who was lost in thought, someone appeared from across the river.
It was a girl with impressive long blonde hair and pink eyes. She had a huge double-bladed axe on her back, and blood stains on her robe were dripping down. In her right hand, she held a wild boar with its head cut off.
It was an eerie sight. Acel caught her neat aura and turned his gaze. The girl seemed to feel his gaze and briefly looked towards Acel before turning to Elena and saying,
"Elena. So you were here."
"Ah, Ellen!"
Elena waved her hand with a welcoming voice. The girl called Ellen nodded and concentrated aura in her legs to leap. She instantly jumped across the river and stood between Acel and Elena.
"I got food. We just need to light a fire."
"I've already eaten!"
"...Weren't we supposed to eat together?"
"Was that so?"
Elena tilted her head. Ellen also tilted her head.
"Then I'll eat this alone. More importantly... who is this man?" Ellen said, pointing at Acel.
Her gaze wasn't much different from before, but the emotion contained in it was. A slight wariness and hostility. Acel laughed as he felt these blatant emotions.
He opened his mouth, looking at Elena.
"You had a companion?"
"Yeah. We met yesterday and decided to move together. This is Ellen!"
"...What's your name?" Ellen asked.
Acel answered obediently, "Acel."
"You have no weapon. Not a martial artist... a magician?"
"A mage."
"A valuable talent," Ellen muttered, looking Acel up and down as if appraising him.
"An aura so well-contained it's hard to gauge the exact level. Seems to be a skilled mage. Do you have companions?"
"No. It's an exam I can pass alone."
"That's true, but it shouldn't be easy enough for a mage to pass alone. Are you perhaps a summoning mage?"
Acel shook his head. He stretched out his palm towards a golem peeking its head out from the bushes.
[Lightning Net]
Crackle!!
A net made of lightning shot out at high speed towards the golem. The golem, instantly covered by the net, struggled, but as soon as Acel raised the output of the net, it turned to ashes and disappeared. Acel fished out the lone core left among the scattering ashes with a magic thread and put it in his backpack.
"I'm a mage who uses this kind of magic."
"...Lightning. So you were the disciple of Genesis that they said would participate."
"Has the rumor spread?"
"Some know. Not everyone."
"Hmm..."
To think rumors had spread even before entering the Academy. It was unexpected. But it wasn't a bad thing. There was nothing to lose by being known. It didn't seem like something to worry about much.
"Let me make a proposal," Ellen spoke to Acel, who was unraveling his magic thread.
"How about traveling together?"
"...You mean moving together?"
"The magic you just showed. There's no reason to refuse a mage strong enough to deal with a golem in one strike. Currently, we've obtained 15 cores. I'll hand over some of these, so let's cooperate during the exam."
15 cores. That was quite a lot. But Acel didn't feel much merit in her proposal. There was no particular reason to cooperate.
"Alright. I'll cooperate."
But Acel accepted her proposal.
If considering only the cores or passing the exam, there was no need to accept her proposal. But Acel was greatly interested not only in Elena's blood manipulation but also in the aura Ellen handled. He wanted to see how they actually operated and handled mana.
He had seen Paul and Sevia's aura last night, but it ended so quickly. It was regrettable that he didn't have a chance to observe closely, so there was no reason to refuse now that the opportunity had come. Originally, he had planned to accompany Elena during the exam to observe blood manipulation as per their agreement, so adding Ellen to that wouldn't be bad.
"Thank you. Let's distribute right away."
Ellen immediately took out 5 cores from her pocket and handed them to Acel. Acel didn't bother to refuse and took them, putting them into his backpack. He shouldered the now quite heavy backpack and gestured towards the bushes, saying, "Let's go right away. There are golems gathered over there."
"Did you use detection magic?"
"That's right."
"When?"
"When I pointed."
An unbelievable answer. Ellen momentarily doubted if Acel was lying, but she let out a hollow laugh when she detected the presence of golems with her expanded senses.
"...Amazing. Is it magic that can be used just like that, without spell formulas or anything?"
"Instead of being surprised, how about we go quickly?" Acel asked, turning his head.
Ellen pointed to the wild boar lying face down on the ground and answered, "We need to eat first."
"...Ah."
As if he had just realized, Acel uttered shortly and scratched his cheek.