Chapter 46: Too Sane (Review Bonus)

Chapter 46. Too Sane (Review Bonus)

I looked at Darius. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, Rey." He smiled. "Just a precaution."

A precaution.

The Holy Knight had apparently developed a sudden passion for quality assurance.

Darius turned toward the king, his expression settling into that familiar mixture of concern and self-importance. "Although the Dark Lord is dead, his followers remain hidden throughout the kingdom. We cannot afford to become careless."

He gestured toward the signet. "And that’s an S-grade mana crystal. An exceptionally rare one."

I waited.

He continued. "As Your Majesty knows, the Dark Lord corrupted many high-grade mana crystals during the war to restrict our movements and weaken our magical supplies."

A perfectly reasonable historical fact.

Used for an entirely unreasonable purpose.

How elegant.

Darius looked at me again. His smile never wavered. "I simply believe we should make certain this particular crystal is safe."

He didn’t need to say anything else.

Several guests exchanged glances.

I could practically hear the thoughts forming.

Rey Valen went mad. He practiced forbidden magic.

What if he’s pretending to be sane?

What if the king’s gift is corrupted?

Darius had managed to accuse me of attempting to harm the king without actually accusing me of anything.

Unfortunately for him, I’d anticipated precisely this sort of bullshit.

I smiled. "Go ahead."

Darius blinked.

"Please," I added. "I’d be delighted to have it examined."

King Aldric looked between us. "Very well." He raised a hand. "Summon the royal appraiser."

The appraiser arrived within minutes.

An elderly man in formal robes, carrying a crystal examination instrument and several diagnostic plates.

He bowed to the king.

"Your Majesty."

"Examine this signet," Aldric instructed. "Thoroughly."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The man accepted the box.

And the entire banquet decided to watch.

Nothing improved a birthday celebration quite like an impromptu investigation into whether the guest of honor had just received a magical assassination device.

The musicians had stopped playing.

Nobles gathered at a respectful distance.

Darius stood beside the king, looking wonderfully confident.

Elia watched in silence.

Raven remained near a pillar.

My wives stood beside me.

I, meanwhile, considered whether there was any cake nearby.

This might take a while.

The appraiser placed the signet on a diagnostic plate.

A formation awakened beneath it.

Golden lines spread across the surface.

The instrument hummed.

Then the S-grade crystal responded.

Light flooded the plate.

Pure.

Brilliant.

Unmistakable.

The appraiser’s eyes widened.

He adjusted his instrument.

Checked again.

Then activated a second diagnostic formation.

More light.

He examined the crystal’s internal structure, the inscriptions, the mana circulation, and the energy stored within its core.

Finally, he looked up. "Your Majesty."

Aldric leaned forward. "Well?"

The appraiser bowed. "The signet is completely safe. There are no traces of corrupted mana," he continued. "None whatsoever." He gestured toward the crystal. "On the contrary, it contains an extraordinary quantity of pure Light Mana."

Several nobles murmured.

The appraiser sounded increasingly impressed.

"The internal structure has been refined to support the Light attribute, and the enchantments are exceptionally stable."

He paused.

"Corrupted mana would interfere with this energy. The two are incompatible in the form present here. There is no indication that this crystal has been corrupted."

He bowed again.

"Your Majesty, this is a remarkable piece of magical craftsmanship."

I smiled.

Aldric laughed. "Excellent!" He reclaimed the signet. "Thank you."

The appraiser bowed and withdrew.

And I?

I maintained my pleasant expression.

Because nobody in this hall needed to know what creating that beautiful little bastard had cost me.

Light Manipulation.

Pure Light Manipulation.

Not Eclipse Light.

I’d deliberately used it throughout the entire crafting process.

Which meant my curse had been an absolute nightmare.

My Curse Stability had dropped to thirty percent.

Twice.

The first time, I’d needed to stop working and use before continuing.

The second time, I’d nearly introduced my forehead to the table.

Repeatedly.

But I’d finished the signet.

And now it was sitting in the king’s hand, glowing with enough pure Light Mana to make Darius look as though somebody had just rewritten the laws of magic in front of him.

Worth it.

I glanced at him.

His expression had changed.

Confusion.

Genuine confusion.

His brows had drawn together, and his eyes kept moving between me and the signet.

How?

That was practically written across his forehead.

How could Rey create something like this?

A wonderful question.

I had several answers.

None of which he deserved.

Darius noticed me watching. His expression smoothed immediately. Then he smiled. "Good to hear."

He stepped closer.

"Don’t be angry with me, Rey. I was simply making sure everything was fine."

The classic maneuver.

I smiled back. "I know."

Two words.

Perfectly polite.

Completely useless to him.

Darius studied my face.

I gave him nothing else.

King Aldric placed the signet back in its box. "Enjoy yourself, Rey." He gestured toward the banquet tables. "Make yourself at home. We’ve prepared plenty of food."

Now that was an excellent royal command.

I inclined my head. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

My wives offered their greetings once more.

Then we withdrew from the throne.

The musicians resumed playing.

Conversation returned.

And the banquet recovered from its brief attempt to become a courtroom.

I glanced toward the food.

Lily was already looking in the same direction.

Our eyes met.

A silent understanding passed between us.

Yes.

Food.

Finally.

We hadn’t even reached the nearest table when the first noblewoman approached.

"Princess Nia?" Nia turned. Her smile appeared instantly. "Yes?"

The woman gestured toward her necklace.

"Forgive me for asking, but that enchantment..."

Here we go.

Within moments, two more ladies joined them.

Then another.

And another.

Apparently, an S-grade royal gift had made people considerably more interested in the accessories my wives were wearing.

Seris attracted questions about her hair ornament.

Ariel received compliments on her pendant.

Liora found herself discussing crystal quality with a noblewoman who looked increasingly desperate to acquire something similar.

Lily was asked about her jewelry.

She answered enthusiastically.

While holding a pastry.

Naturally.

I stood nearby with a glass of wine, watching my wives become the center of several conversations.

Nia was thriving.

She smiled, answered questions, demonstrated a minor enchantment, and somehow managed to make every woman feel as though she’d discovered something exclusive.

A born negotiator.

A fox-shaped financial disaster for everyone else’s husbands.

I loved her.

Then I noticed something else.

The questions weren’t all about jewelry.

"Has Lord Rey been feeling better?"

"Is he recovering well?"

"Does he still practice magic?"

"Was the flying carriage truly his creation?"

They were asking my wives about me.

Not me directly.

Oh, they looked interested.

Some very interested.

But apparently, walking up to the Mad Magus and asking whether he’d recovered from his supposed descent into insanity required more courage than most nobles possessed.

Understandable.

My face wasn’t particularly inviting.

Especially when I wasn’t trying.

I took a sip of wine.

Then spotted a familiar figure across the hall.

Duke Harven.

There was my favorite disgruntled bastard.

He stood beside a group of nobles, watching me with obvious displeasure.

I met his gaze.

And gave him a smile that said, "Want another punch?"

Harven’s expression stiffened.

Then he looked away.

Immediately.

I nearly laughed into my wine.

Oh, that was satisfying.

A small pleasure.

But an important one.

I’d spent the last week working like a possessed researcher, opening a mine, crafting magical equipment, and turning enemy spies into unwilling members of my intelligence network.

I deserved a little entertainment.

Unfortunately, the universe had apparently decided I’d enjoyed myself long enough.

"Rey."

A familiar voice.

I lowered my glass.

Darius approached.

With Elia beside him.

The Holy Knight and the Saintess.

A matching set.

How adorable.

Darius wore his usual polished smile.

Elia, however, looked considerably less certain.

Her gaze moved over my face.

Then my shoulders.

Then the glass in my hand.

As though she expected me to suddenly collapse from the effort of standing upright.

I resisted the urge to offer her a chair. She looked like she needed one more than I did.

"Rey," she said softly. "How are you?"