Once they entered Sato's room, Killa looked around.
"Not too bad."
The room was quite clean, the only thing left undone was the messy bed where Megumi had slept.
As Killa scanned the room, her eyes fell on the rose Sato had received from Trickster before Eryon went berserk.
"What is up with that rose?"
"Ohh… I got that from Trickster," Sato said, quite relaxed as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Trickster?!"
"Although, there is something weird about it…"
Looking closer, Sato seemed perplexed.
"What?"
"The rose was completely white when I got it."
Both of them gazed at the flower, confused. Some of the petals had turned completely black. And yet, not a single drop of mana could be felt coming from it.
"I can't believe you got a rose from Trickster. What did Irina say about it?"
"Well…"
Sato began to explain to Killa what happened days ago, right after Trickster left and Irina burst into the room.
"What happened here?" Irina asked, sensing the faint mana traces Trickster had left behind.
"About that… Someone called Trickster came here."
"Trickster…That damn clown. What did he tell you?" She asked directly, unable to hide her frustration.
Sitting on the bed, Sato hadn't been too worried then, except for the lingering sensation of cloth in his throat.
"If I had to summarize what he told me: something big is going to happen soon."
"Tsk… he probably came to scout people for his schemes. Anything else?"
"He gave me this flower." Sato pointed to the bottle.
"A rose?"
For a second, Irina inspected the flower. She couldn't feel any mana coming from it. But when she tried to touch it, she froze before her skin could even make contact. A sudden wave of nausea hit her, forcing her to retreat her hand instantly.
"Irina, your hand!" Sato called out, worried.
Looking at her hand, she noticed her thumb was bleeding, as if she had been pricked by an invisible thorn.
This rose… is not normal at all. I can't feel any mana coming from it and above all it doesn't even let me touch it..
"Don't mind it. You can keep the rose, but let me know if something changes."
"Alright."
Back in the present, Sato finished explaining everything to Killa.
"I see. Do you mind if I try to touch it?"
"Go ahead."
Approaching the flower, Killa raised a hand and tried to grab the stem.
Instantly, she was hit with the same nausea Irina had felt.
Retreating her hand sharply, she checked her thumb. Beside the prick, black mana particles were evaporating from the small wound.
"This rose is troublesome. Can you pick it up?" She asked, putting her thumb in her mouth to stop the bleeding.
Getting up from the bed, Sato walked over to the rose and picked it up without any issue.
"You will only waste your time trying to understand that thing."
Irina was leaning in the doorway, watching them with folded arms.
"Irina. Do you know what can be the cause behind the sudden change?"
"No. I decided to not bother anymore. Trying to understand someone else's magic is very hard as it is, to try to do that when I have other things to do on the side, no thanks."
"Ohh? Even for a genius like you?" Killa grinned, teasing her as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Don't act smart, Green Head." Irina frowned, giving her a sharp look.
"Huh… why are you here anyway? Didn't you want to watch TV or something?"
"There wasn't anything interesting on. So I came here to watch Sato mess up his weapon. Don't mind me."
"So optimistic, are you now?"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
Both girls exchanged tense looks, glaring at each other as if ready to fight at any moment.
"C'mon girls, you don't need to argue now."
Why do I need to stand between them even now…?
Sato was already tired of them trying to pick a fight at every chance they got.
"Should we start then?"
Killa sighed as she crossed her arms, turning her head away from Irina.
"Yes, please."
Once Sato sat down on the bed, Killa prepared to teach him how he can manifest his weapon, while Irina watched silently from the doorway.
"Before we begin, tell me what you know about mana."
"Well, I know that heroes can gather mana from every single living thing, as they naturally release mana into the air. People, plants, even the Sun leak small quantities of mana. Besides this, any kind of nutrients can work as fuel for them, be it food, blood, or anything else that can be digested."
Sato continued to explain fluently, leaving Killa stunned.
"Heroes use this mana to cast magic, but most importantly in this competition, they use it to sustain their physical bodies. Since their link with Nexus was cut, they can't access its power anymore. That is why you need a strong connection with a person from this world to act as your anchor."
"Indeed… you got this right…" Killa said, nodding slowly, impressed.
"Also, there are the mana circuits. They are the main pathways through which you can conjure mana. The physical, mind, an' spir'tu'l ci'cuits…"
Killa suddenly covered his mouth, making him stutter until he stopped talking.
"I got the idea. You already know enough… To be honest, there were things in there that even I didn't know. But that doesn't matter. Clearly, Irina already told you what you need to know."
"What do you mean?" Irina intervened from the doorway. "I didn't tell him any of that."
"Then how does he know all of this?"
"Heh. Even if she didn't tell me anything, at least she conjured a book for me to learn from."
"A book?"
"Yes!"
Picking up the book from the nightstand, Sato held it out for Killa to see.
What a weird book. If Irina made it, it should contain mana, but I can't feel anything, just like that rose.
Curious, she raised her hand to touch it.
But millimeters away from the cover, a small spark of mana flared.
Fwoosh!
A small violet flame materialized instantly but Killa yanked her hand back just in time.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Killa yelled at Irina.
"What? You didn't think I would let someone I didn't approve of touch one of my books, did you?"
"Is that so? Alright then."
Seeing this as a challenge, Killa turned her back on Irina and faced Sato.
"Sato, open this book. I am going to prove to that witch that I can read what is inside."
Sato opened the book and Killa leaned in to take a peek, but something was wrong.
"I can't see the writing."
From Killa's point of view, the pages were completely blank. As Sato turned them, all she saw was white paper.
"Alright then… in that case, recite something from it."
Starting to get annoyed, Killa put her hand on Sato's shoulder and tightened her grip while Irina stood silent in the doorway, internally beaming with pride.
Sato began to read. Killa watched his mouth moving, saw his throat vibrating as he spoke loudly, but…
"I can't hear anything… I-I give up…"
With a defeated voice, Killa bowed her head, saddened by her total failure against Irina's magic.
"Not so tough anymore, huh? In order to read that book, you would first need to be acknowledged by me. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to open it without getting burned."
"Ohh!" A smile rose on Killa's face as an idea hit her.
"Does that mean you acknowledged Sato?"
"Wait, really?"
From the bed, Sato looked at Irina with hopeful eyes.
"Please. I wouldn't acknowledge someone like him even if he took first place in the tournament. I just gave him that book because he managed to survive after I forcibly opened all of his mana circuits one after the other."
"You did WHAT!?" Killa's head snapped toward Sato.
"It's true…" Sato admitted, scratching his cheek sheepishly with his eyes closed.
"You are crazy."
Killa stared at him, frozen. She wasn't just defeated by Irina's magic, she was stunned by Sato. To survive something like that meant he was either incredibly lucky… or he had a terrifyingly high tolerance for pain and mana.