Zero did not answer Elara immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes behind his iron mask and spoke to his System in his mind.
"System," Zero asked. "What is the exchange rate? How many System Points will I get for my gold and platinum coins?"
Ding!
[1 Gold Coin = 10 System Points] (SP)
[1 Platinum Coin (100 Gold) = 1,000 System Points ](SP)
Zero quickly did the math in his head. He had just won 43 Platinum Coins from the auction today.
[43 Platinum Coins x 1,000 SP = 43,000]
System Points!
Zero felt a dark wave of excitement. The SS-Rank Mana Awakening Potion only cost 10,000 points. He could easily afford it, and he would still have plenty of wealth left over to buy weapons and build his village.
"System," Zero commanded mentally.
"Deduct 10 Platinum Coins from my auction earnings and buy the SS-Rank Mana Awakening Potion right now"
Ding!
[Item Purchased: SS-Rank Mana Awakening Potion. 10,000 SP deducted]
[The item is now in your Inventory]
Zero opened his eyes. He looked down at Lady Elara Valmont, who was still waiting nervously for his answer.
"You asked how I am going to give you magic?" Zero said, his mechanical voice echoing in the quiet room. "I will show you"
Zero slowly raised his heavy, Abyssal Steel gauntlet. He accessed his System Inventory. Suddenly, a bright flash of light lit up the room.
Out of thin air, a small, crystal bottle appeared in his hand.
But this was no ordinary potion. The liquid inside was not just glowing—it looked like it was made of pure, liquid stars. It swirled with deep purple and silver colors. The sheer, terrifying magical power radiating from the small bottle was so strong that it made the air in the room vibrate.
Elara and Brielle both took a step back, completely overwhelmed by the intense magical pressure.
"W-What is that?!" Brielle gasped, her knightly instincts screaming at her that the bottle held the power of a natural disaster.
Elara Valmont, the greatest alchemist in the world, fell to her knees. Her eyes were wide, and her whole body was shaking. She could not even understand what she was looking at.
"This... this is impossible," Elara whispered, tears forming in her eyes from the sheer beauty of the liquid. "The mana density... it is beyond 100% purity. It feels ancient. It feels like the breath of the Gods Zero... what is this?"
Zero looked down at her, the glowing liquid reflecting on his dark iron mask.
"This is an SS-Rank Mana Awakening Potion," Zero declared proudly. "Drink this, Elara Valmont, and it will forcefully build magical circuits inside your body. It will cure your lack of magic and give you immense power. This is my gift to you... if you swear loyalty to my army"
Elara stared at the glowing bottle. The impossible dream she had chased her entire life was finally right in front of her
Elara Valmont stared at the swirling, starry liquid inside the crystal vial. Her hands were shaking. She had spent her entire life studying potions, but her scientific mind could not understand what she was looking at.
"Can this... really give me mana?" Elara whispered. It felt like a dream. She was afraid that if she blinked, the potion would disappear.
Behind her, Brielle Ironheart was completely frozen in shock. The tall knight looked at the towering, black-armored man standing before them.
'Zero is not a normal man,'Brielle thought, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and absolute awe. 'To give magic to someone born without it... that is not alchemy. That is a miracle. Only a God can rewrite the rules of nature like this.'
Zero held the vial out towards Elara.
"Take it," Zero's deep, mechanical voice commanded. "Drink it, and claim the power you deserve"
Elara reached out with trembling fingers and took the crystal vial. She didn't hesitate anymore. She pulled the stopper out and drank the glowing, purple-and-silver liquid in one gulp.
For a few seconds, the room was completely silent. Elara dropped the empty vial on the soft carpet. She looked down at her hands.
"I don't feel—"
Suddenly, Elara gasped, her eyes shooting wide open. She grabbed her chest as a massive surge of heat exploded inside her heart.
"Elara!" Brielle yelled, rushing forward.
"Stay back!**" Zero ordered coldly. "Her body is building mana circuits from scratch. Do not touch her"
A blinding, pure purple and silver light suddenly burst out from Elara's body. The light was so bright that Brielle had to cover her eyes. Glowing, magical lines began to appear on Elara's pale skin, spreading from her heart down to her fingertips and up to her face. It was the physical proof of mana circuits burning themselves into her body.
The magical pressure inside the quiet VIP room skyrocketed. A powerful wind whipped around Elara, blowing her hair wildly into the air. The sheer force of her new magic pushed Brielle back a few steps.
It was a painful but glorious process. Elara threw her head back and let out a loud cry, not of pain, but of absolute, overwhelming release. The heavy chain that had held her back her entire life was finally broken.
Slowly, the blinding light began to fade. The wild wind died down, and the glowing lines on Elara's skin sank deep beneath her flesh, hiding themselves safely inside her body.
Elara fell to her knees on the soft rug, breathing heavily. Sweat covered her forehead.
The room was dead silent. Brielle slowly lowered her arms and looked at her childhood friend.
"El...?" Brielle whispered nervously.
Elara slowly opened her eyes. They were no longer just the sharp, calculating eyes of a businesswoman. They now glowed with a faint, beautiful purple magical aura. She held up her trembling right hand and focused her mind.
Whoosh.
A ball of pure, highly concentrated blue fire ignited in the palm of her hand. It hovered perfectly, completely under her control.
She had done it. She had produced magic.
Tears instantly flooded Elara's eyes. The ball of fire disappeared as she covered her face with her hands and began to cry. They were tears of pure joy, relief, and years of hidden pain finally washing away. She was no longer "trash." She was a true mage.
Brielle dropped to her knees beside Elara, hugging her tightly. The tough knight also had tears in her eyes, crying for the happiness of her sworn sister.
After a moment, Elara wiped her tears and slowly stood up. Brielle stood up right beside her.
Both women turned to look at Zero.
Their expressions had completely changed. Before, they looked at him as a very valuable business partner—a man with good items who could help their family.
But now? They looked at him with absolute reverence and deep devotion. The way a mortal looks at a supreme being.
Elara did not offer a polite noble curtsy this time. Instead, she dropped down onto one knee and bowed her head deeply. Seeing this, Brielle instantly drew her broadsword, stabbed it into the carpet, and kneeled right beside her master, bowing her head as well.
"You have given me a new life, Zero," Elara said, her voice shaking with intense emotion and absolute loyalty. "From this day forward, my alchemy, my knowledge, and my entire life belong to you. Command me, and I will brew potions that will conquer this world for your army"
Zero looked down at the two women kneeling before him.
"Stand up," Zero commanded smoothly.
Elara and Brielle slowly stood up. Elara's eyes were still shining with tears of joy, and her new magical aura softly glowed around her.
"There is one small problem," Zero said, his glowing red eyes looking directly at the alchemist. "I already have a companion by my side whose name is Elara. Having two people with the same name will cause confusion in my army. Do you have another name I can call you?"
Elara froze. Her breath hitched, and a look of deep, complex emotion crossed her face. She looked down at her hands, which could now produce the magic she had always dreamed of. Zero had just given her a miracle. He had given her a new life.
She took a deep breath, looked up at his iron mask, and spoke in a very soft, vulnerable voice.
"Yes... you can call me Lilia"
Next to her, Brielle Ironheart gasped loudly. The tall knight's eyes went completely wide with absolute shock. She stared at Elara as if she had just seen a ghost.
Brielle could not believe her ears. 'She gave him that name?!' Brielle screamed in her mind. 'I am her closest childhood friend. I have protected her my whole life, and even I am only allowed to call her 'El'!'
Brielle knew the heavy, painful history behind that unique name. "Lilia" was not a noble name. It was the sweet, simple name that Elara's mother had given her in the servant quarters. Because her mother was just a poor servant, the Valmont family never accepted the name "Lilia," forcing her to use the noble name "Elara" instead.
When her mother died a painful death, the young girl was completely broken. She buried the name "Lilia" deep in her heart. She strictly forbade everyone from using it. Hearing that name brought back too many painful memories of her mother and the cruel things the nobles did to her. She never gave anyone the right to speak it out loud.
But now, she was freely giving it to Zero.
By giving him the name Lilia, she was not just giving him a nickname. She was throwing away her hateful Valmont noble identity. She was offering him her truest, most innocent self—the daughter of a kind servant mother.
Zero noticed Brielle's extreme shock, but he did not ask questions. He simply accepted her choice.
"Lilia," Zero repeated slowly, his mechanical voice testing the sound of the name. "It is a good name. From now on, you are Lilia, the Grand Apothecary of my army"
Lilia smiled, a genuinely warm and peaceful smile that Brielle had not seen on her face since they were little girls. For the first time in years, hearing her mother's name did not bring her pain. It brought her peace.
"Thank you, Zero," Lilia whispered, wiping the last tear from her eye. "I will not let you down
"Oh, I almost forgot one thing," Zero said calmly, looking down at his own shadow stretching across the floor. "Kaelith. You can come out now"