Turning
chapter-402

Enon, who cut off Yuder's words in an instant, came closer and sat down. Eyes resembling his favorite lemons stared intently at Yuder's face, specifically aimed at his left eye.

“So that settles it.”

“What?”

“Your eye.”

Enon picked up a small decorative mirror that had been lying on the table and handed it over.

“According to the Commander, your left eye was shining gold, but when I came and turned the eyelid over, it was not. But when you woke up, it was the same, so it's certain that it has returned to its original color.”

Taking the mirror, Yuder was slightly surprised to realize that both his eyes were indeed the same color. The gold he had seen himself had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a look no different from before his injury.

‘The color... has returned.’

He looked strangely at his own eyes, whose deep shade had been the subject of countless remarks about its terrifying appearance. No matter how closely he looked, the only other color present was a faint violet that momentarily reflected the light, as was usually the case. It was an ordinary and familiar phenomenon that occurred when light hit the overly dark shade.

“I also saw the gold in my eye... What happened?”

“Well, I can only guess one thing. During the magic that erased the traces of amplification, the absorbed magic power remained attached inside and eventually flowed out with the disappearing toxicity.”

“Is that something that can happen?”

“Eyes are as good a place for magic to linger as the heart is. Ever heard the story that when ancient great mages used magic, their eye color changed to the color of their magic?”

“...I think I have.”

“It's a phenomenon called the 'Eye of Magic.' Something similar happened to you.”

Enon went on at length with his explanation of magic, but the point was concise. It seemed as though something had pierced through Yuder's left eye like a path for magic, due to the toxicity and magic that had remained in his body.

“It might not have been visible due to the poison stain, but after it disappeared, the magic started to appear. It's only in one eye for you, but it's usually something that only great mages can do.”

“I don't see anything different from before.”

“It hasn't been long since your eye recovered, that's why.”

Enon told Yuder that his left eye might react more sensitively to magic or other energy than before and that he might be able to see things he couldn't previously see. It was an unimaginable power for now.

‘...Well, I'm not going to become a mage, so I should be satisfied with the mere fact that my eye has recovered.’

As Enon paused to gather his thoughts, Yuder put down the mirror. Then he noticed something different in his bare hand, which was without gloves. A strange sight, replacing the vanished black spots. Spiderweb-like violet specks spreading along the veins of the back of his hand.

“What is this......”

“Oh, right, yes. There was that too.”

Enon looked down at Yuder's hand and muttered somberly.

“Didn't you see those spots spread before you fainted?”

“...I didn't know.”

How could he have known what was happening inside his gloved hand in the chaos of battle? He hadn't even noticed the light coming from his eyes. What's more, what had merely looked like spreading dots under his skin was now startlingly transformed into something that resembled veins.

Yuder looked down in alarm at the faint spots that had almost faded before he came west but had now darkened again as much as when they first appeared. Slowly rolling up his sleeve, he noticed that the spots, looking like streaks of blood, had spread quite a bit on the hidden part of his arm, but thankfully, they hadn't gone past his elbow.

Yuder clenched and unclenched his fist several times. Despite its more grotesque appearance than before, there was no pain.

"It doesn't hurt though."

"It doesn't hurt? Is that all you have to say? Huh? How many times did I tell you to think carefully before taking that medicine?"

Enon replied, his face filled with rage, and clenched his fist. He was evidently struggling to contain his desire to punch. If it would calm him down, Yuder was willing to take a punch or two, so he even considered bowing his head, but Enon eventually relaxed his clenched fist.

"Yeah... It's my fault for being weak and giving you the medicine. It's my fault, not yours. I should be the one to blame, not you."

"Don't say that, Enon. If it weren't for that medicine, I wouldn't have been able to escape so easily. If you're angry, just be yourself as usual. Don't blame yourself."

"You really demotivate me, you know," Enon said, slumping his shoulders, looking utterly defeated.

"You wake up and say that without changing your expression one bit? What kind of life have you lived, you young kid?"

"You know. It's not that hard."

"...Compared to me, everyone's life is hard!"

Perhaps due to his mood, Enon's expression seemed more troubled than before as he answered.

"Anyway, now that you're awake, let's test something. Try using some strength on anything."

Yuder didn't ask why. Lifting his hand, where purple lines had spread like a messy drawing, he lightly exerted force, and a small flame ignited with a whooshing sound.

At that moment, the lines on his hand contracted and expanded erratically, and the color of his left eye changed. Unlike before, when the light seemed to blaze brightly within his pupils, this sudden transformation occurred silently. Enon observed the change without surprise, just furrowing his brow, then nodded.

"Now, make it go away."

As the flame vanished, the color of his eye returned to normal. The spots on the back of his hand remained, but inside the rolled-up sleeve, the faintest areas were still wriggling, moving along the streaks of blood.

"Again."

Enon made Yuder repeat the action several times before letting out a sigh. Yuder, sensing that he could stop now, ignored the still-wriggling spots inside his wrist and lowered his sleeve.

"Is there any pain?"

"No."

"It's a relief that there's no pain, but it seems the hasty consumption of the medicine and continuous use of the Awakener's power to adjust the toxicity has caused some side effects."

Enon succinctly explained why he had Yuder exert his strength and what he thought the results meant.

"Every time you use the Awakener's power, the red energy not yet fully absorbed through your hands, and the remaining magic energy in your eyes seem to move together. We need to keep an eye on it, but... perhaps the innate magic energy you originally possessed might also be affected."

"...My magic energy?"

"Every member of this world, including humans, naturally possesses magic energy to survive, whether they are a mage or not."

Just as a body would reject the blood of a stranger if it did not match, naturally, the result of someone else's magic power entering a body was that it would not linger long and would vanish. However, the power of Kishiar that Yuder had absorbed from a massive spell cast to remove the specific magic effects that had settled in a human body seemed to linger for some reason. It had not disappeared and seemed to have fully adapted, moving as if it were a part of the body itself.

‘Had the body transformed into a medium that accepted and absorbed external forces? Or was it something else…’

“Anyway, we'll need to investigate further, but your hand is quite noticeable. It would be best to continue wearing gloves.”

Indeed, if someone saw a hand writhing like this, they would likely scream and run away. As there would be no benefit to being remembered so intensely by others, Yuder silently nodded.

“And the rest... honestly, it's not that bad.”

Enon grimaced, as if extremely reluctant to admit it.

“While you were unconscious, Lusan and I examined you, and the blood you vomited was toxicity escaping from within, and your previously unstable spirit has stabilized considerably. If you have no difficulty or pain when using your power, then the medicine has fully taken effect.”

Yes. That seemed right.

The sensation of pain that had been burning his body, and the blood he had vomited, rather than weakening him, felt like something was burning away and trying to purge a build-up. Even if the power of the red stone, which had almost been absorbed into Yuder's body, had flared up once more when something stimulated it again, if it didn't cause any problems when using his strength, then all was well.

Yuder finally exhaled deeply, feeling as though he had escaped a long quandary. Now, there was nothing to obstruct his path.

“Enon. So... where is the commander?”

“...”

With a look that seemed to say he never gave up, Enon looked at Yuder, bowed his head, and opened his mouth.

“He waited until he was assured that your condition wasn't serious, and then he left.”

“He left? What about Priest Lusan…?”

“That guy is… Ah, he's coming now.”

“Sir Enon! I've brought what you asked for. Is this it?”

Lusan, holding a handful of freshly plucked leaves, stopped in his tracks as his eyes met Yuder's.

“Sir Yuder! You're awake.”

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