I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 227: Mana Split (3)

"Sa, sa-ra-jyeoss-da-go?"

"The barrier, it's completely gone... What is going on?"

Those who had instinctively closed their eyes, expecting an explosion, slowly began to open them. They looked around and were shocked, stunned into silence. The sphere that had been swelling, on the verge of exploding and breaking the barrier, had disappeared without a trace. In its place, only the research building's outer wall, badly dented as if eaten by rats, remained.

A heavy silence, as though nothing had happened, settled in. A moment later, everyone's gaze turned toward the center of the impact zone, where a lone man stood amidst the scorched earth.

"Be, Count Vermont!?"

Though no one knew exactly what had happened, all the professors present understood that Aslan Vermont had 'done something.'

Just before the barrier broke, Aslan had confidently walked under the barrier. Then, the mysterious black smoke that had emanated from him had surrounded the red sphere. After the black smoke dissipated, there was nothing left.

They had witnessed everything with their own eyes, but no one could understand what had happened.

"How did he do it? I didn’t feel any mana stirring..."

"What about that black smoke? Or that flash-like phenomenon, what was that!?"

The professors rushed toward Aslan, bombarding him with questions. Aslan was momentarily unsure how to respond. If he mentioned dark magic right away, the crowd would be in an uproar before he could explain anything further. On the other hand, if he gave a theoretical explanation, it would likely take too long.

"..."

After some thought, Aslan found an answer, giving a faint smile and then speaking up.

"It’s a long story, so I’ll explain it at tomorrow’s academic presentation. If there are any questions, you can ask them there."

He would have to give the same explanation again tomorrow anyway. There was no need to exhaust himself speaking in this chaotic situation.

Aslan nonchalantly responded and turned away.

"Assistant! Assistant! Reschedule my appointments! I must attend tomorrow’s academic presentation!"

"Goddammit! I wasn’t booked! I’ll have to attend standing!"

The professors began to scramble. Most of them had planned to skip the presentation, thinking it would be a minor event. Now, however, it had turned into a must-attend affair.

‘That was close...’

The red sphere was already gone, but the scars it left behind were still evident on the academy’s research building. How intense must the heat have been for the stone walls to melt like that?

If I hadn’t arrived in time to scatter the mana using dark magic, we would’ve been in deep trouble. If I’d been even a little late, there could’ve been massive casualties.

"I’ve caught the culprit!"

"Are you the one who cast the spell that nearly destroyed the research building?"

"Yes... I did..."

The culprit was caught almost without resistance. He had walked in voluntarily, admitting his role. It didn’t seem like a terrorist act—just a mishap that occurred during an experiment.

The professors gathered around the apprehended culprit, their faces stern.

"What kind of spell did you cast?"

"It didn’t seem like a normal combustion reaction. What magic was it?"

They quickly began to interrogate the culprit about the sphere. They could deal with punishment or disciplinary measures later. For now, they couldn’t contain their curiosity.

"That... recently, it was discovered that mana can be physically split into particles... When I measured the energy released during the fragmentation of mana, I found that it was proportional to the mass lost. But the coefficient was astronomical... The amount of energy released by a single mana particle was millions of times greater than that of a combustion reaction."

"Millions of times?! Is that true? Where’s the proof?"

"The data was in the lab..."

"Damn it! We’ll need to measure it again and submit it to the academic community! No, you come to my lab! I’ll verify it myself! Anyway, continue with your explanation."

"Yes, yes... Using that principle, I thought that if I caused mana particles to split in a chain reaction, I could release a large amount of energy. To explain briefly, when a mana particle collapses and its fragments scatter, the fragments collide with other mana particles, causing them to collapse in turn. This chain reaction can trigger a large-scale reaction involving all the concentrated mana. The result of that experiment is what you just saw..."

"...."

The researcher finished his explanation with a defeated tone. Shocked expressions covered the faces of the professors. I, too, was equally stunned.

‘That... that sounds just like nuclear fission, doesn’t it?’

The principle seemed almost identical to nuclear fission—so much so that it could be considered exactly the same. If mana particles were just substituted with uranium or plutonium, it wouldn’t be any different from nuclear fission. The problem was that nuclear fission was used to create the deadliest weapons—atomic bombs.

A method of generating vast amounts of energy from a small amount. Most people, hearing about such a principle for the first time, would instantly think of bombs.

Looking around, I noticed that the professors were all wearing grave expressions, unable to close their mouths. It seemed they all had the same thought.

"That means... using that principle...!"

"With the energy you gain, you could boil water and run turbines to generate power for everyday use!"

"You wouldn’t need to destroy mountains for firewood, and it would be an environmentally friendly energy source with no emissions!"

"Uhm... Couldn’t we also make bombs with this?"

"Ugh! After all that work refining high-purity mana, you want to turn it into some useless bomb?! Have you lost your mind?"

"Would a bomb make bread or anything else!? What are you talking about?!"

"I-I’m sorry!"

As I observed this, the professors had become enthusiastic, not about bombs, but about nuclear power. As soon as someone mentioned bombs, they were criticized.

Watching the professors excitedly chat and share their opinions, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘Right. This is a generally peaceful world...’

I had forgotten. Aside from villains like Aslan Vermont and Sephiroth, this world was quite soft in its nature. Unless I directly brought the threat of nuclear war here, there was no need to worry about it.

‘The villain of the first chapter is Aslan. The second one is probably Sephiroth... so who comes next?’

I suddenly wondered who the remaining villains might be. Surely, there couldn’t only be two villains. There had to be at least one more, including the final boss.

I hadn’t encountered anyone with a truly malevolent personality comparable to Aslan or Sephiroth yet, so I was left confused.

Could someone be hiding their true nature, disguising themselves? Or maybe they’ll fall to darkness later? Or perhaps they haven’t been born yet?

‘Regardless, I need to be prepared.’

Since I’ve only played up to Chapter 1, I have no information about the remaining villains. But I can’t afford to sit idly by.

The good news is that the hero and his companions are on my side. We’ve got a dream team with a necromancer, a dark knight, a swordmaster, and a healer—everyone’s covered with the right roles.

If they all diligently hone their abilities, we should be more than ready to face the remaining villains. Of course, I’ll stay vigilant and prepare, but for now, I won’t worry too much.

"Count! Are you hurt?"

"Aside from my thighs being a bit sore from carrying Sylvia, I’m fine."

"Ah, thank goodness... What about Charlotte and Yuria?"

"I left them nearby, thinking it would be too dangerous to bring them here. They’ll be here soon."

"I see... So no one was injured..."

"...."

Yuria let out a sigh of relief, slumping down in exhaustion. The unprecedented disaster had clearly shaken her. In the midst of it all, she was worrying about others first...

"Sit down and rest. Calm your heart first."

"No... I’m not shocked, it’s not that..."

"Then what is it?"

"I can clearly see people getting hurt right before my eyes... And yet, I feel so powerless because I can only save a few of them..."

"...."

Yuria, her pupils trembling, stared vacantly at the air, her body shaking. In the middle of all that chaos, instead of thinking about running, she was thinking about saving others. She was such a soft-hearted person, it almost made me question whether she was even the same species as me.

"How did you get so strong, Count? Could you teach me?"

Yuria glanced up at me, her eyes full of admiration.

She thought I was strong.

It was laughable.

"It was just luck."

"Eh..."

"I’m not trying to be formal, I’m serious. It really was just luck. My strength is about the same as Yuria’s, and I can’t even feel mana. But my talent for dark magic is what saved me. Normally, it’s useless, but in situations like this, it can save lives. So, it’s just luck. It’s not about being strong or weak."

"No... You're definitely strong, Count. It’s not about being weak or unable to use magic. I mean, it’s about the strength of the person."

It seemed that in Yuria’s eyes, I was someone incredible.

I chuckled, gently placing my hand on her head.

"Well, if that’s how you feel, then I guess my act of bluffing worked. It’s all thanks to luck that my act worked and that I happened to have good people around me."

"Bluffing?"

"I’m serious. I’m weak, pretending to be strong. But if someone as strong as you is bluffing, then it’s not a bluff—it’s confidence."

"....!"

"If it had been an ordinary person, they wouldn’t have been able to save anyone, let alone survive. The fact that you could save someone shows that you’re strong. Believe in yourself, Yuria. Whether it’s bluffing or confidence, those who believe in their own strength will find power."

"Yes...!"

Finally, Yuria answered, her voice stronger than before.

I hope she isn’t too hard on herself. In the original story, she had to awaken quickly because her companions were dying and destruction was imminent. But here, that’s not the case.

"But earlier, when you saw me, you immediately called me by my name... Aslan Vermont..."

"Ah!? S-sorry, Count! I got so surprised, I just said whatever came to mind..."

Yuria’s face turned pale with surprise, and she trembled as she looked up at me with a wistful gaze. She probably thought I would be angry for being addressed by my first name.

[The Demon God, Kali, says she’s cheering for you since your healer calls you by your name in such a familiar way!]

As Kali said, I wanted to shout with joy. But I had to hold back my laughter, biting my lip.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

It seems I’m not the only one who thinks I’m getting closer to Yuria...