Chapter 25 - Primordial Flame
Fifteen years ago, a new life came into the Ainsworth family.
The jewel-like baby girl was given the name Nia.
“Fu… hahaha… fuhahahahahahaha…! Splendid! What a day this is! I have waited three hundred years for this moment!”
The crazed laughter of “Grand Elder” Zova echoed throughout the halls of the Ainsworth estate.
Zova Le Ainsworth was the current head of the Ainsworth family—a man who wielded an Origin-Class Unique Magic and halted the aging of his body, living through countless ages like some wandering ghost.
With long white hair streaming behind him, his towering frame exceeded two meters in height, his lean build packed with steel-like muscle.
His face, deeply lined with wrinkles, still carried a rugged sharpness, and his hawk-like eyes radiated an overwhelming intensity.
“Look! The <Primordial Flame>! At last it is born! The Origin-Class Unique Magic to stand as the counterpart to my <Primordial Ice>!”
The Ainsworth family was a renowned authority in the study of Magic Factors.
Through a special method that did not rely on the Baptism Ceremony, they had determined with perfect accuracy that the Unique Magic dwelling within newborn Nia was the <Primordial Flame>.
“At last, we can proceed with ‘the plan’! Bwahaha, things are about to get busy!”
Zova rejoiced from the depths of his heart.
Not for Nia’s birth itself—but for the birth of the <Primordial Flame> housed within her body.
After that, under the Ainsworth family’s elite education, Nia grew up healthy and strong.
Then, when she turned five, a great incident occurred—one that would become the turning point of her life.
On a gloomy, overcast morning, Nia was brought by her grandfather Zova to the largest hospital in the Ainsworth domain.
“My, my, Lord Zova, welcome.”
The director, who had come to greet them, knelt before Zova.
“Be at ease. Now—what of the ones in question?”
“They are in the fourth observation room.”
“Take me to them.”
“Yes, my lord. This way, please.”
They passed from the general ward into a special research wing, walking for a while down a long corridor until they arrived at a small, pure-white room separated by clear glass.
Inside, about ten small children lay upon their beds.
“Their condition?”
“It is stable for the moment, but... it won’t be long now.”
“Hmm, I see.”
As Zorva and the director exchanged their cryptic words—
“Grandfather, why are these children locked up like this? Do they have some kind of terrible illness?”
Zova glanced aside, and the director answered in his stead.
“Lady Nia, all of the children here suffer from a disease called Idiopathic Mana Deficiency Syndrome.”
“I...dio...pathic... mana...?”
“It is a mysterious illness of unknown cause, most often appearing in the very young, before the age of five. The organs that generate mana wither and die, and eventually... so does the child.”
“...Huh? You mean... all of them are going to die...?”
“Sadly, yes—soon.”
“That... that’s awful! Can’t we do anything to save them?!”
The director shook his head.
“Neither modern medicine nor healing magic can help them. However... if we had your Magic Factor, Lady Nia, perhaps...”
“My Magic Factor...?”
“Yes. The <Primordial Flame> is an exceedingly rare Unique Magic—”
And so, the director gave Nia a simple explanation.
The Origin-Class Unique Magic <Primordial Flame> held dominion over both “Destruction” and “Creation.”
The Flame of Ruin could burn all things to ash. The Flame of Creation could return all things to their purest form.
If they analyzed Nia’s Magic Factor and cultivated only the portion that governed creation in <Primordial Flame>, then transplanted it into the patients... there was a chance the disease could be cured.
“Lady Nia, will you help these less fortunate children?”
“Yes, of course. If my Factor can help them, then you can use as much as you need!”
“Ohh, thank you.”
And so, Nia gave them her Magic Factor... or rather, she let it be taken from her.
The experiment proved a resounding success.
The power of <Primordial Flame> was overwhelming, and the children who received the cultivated Factor recovered with miraculous speed.
“Big Sis Nia, thank you!”
“It’s all thanks to you, Sister Nia!”
“Big Sis Nia, I love you!”
The children, now full of life, expressed their joy and gratitude with innocent smiles.
“Thank you, thank you...!”
“Because of you, Lady Nia, my child is so full of energy again...!”
The parents, too, wept tears of joy, pouring out words of gratitude again and again.
“Eh... ehehe... y-you’re welcome...”
She had been happy.
She had been proud.
Her Unique Magic—her power—could help those in need.
That truth alone had made her feel so blessed.
But... that was the beginning of her descent into hell.
A few days later—
“Hot... it’s so hot...!”
“Big...sis… Nia... help... me...!”
The children who had been transplanted with the Magic Factor of the <Primordial Flame> suddenly began to suffer.
One after another, they collapsed.
“What...?”
As Nia stood there…
“The <Primordial Flame>—‘The Power of Plunder’ confirmed! Remote magic absorption successful!”
“Congratulations, Lord Zova!”
“With this, the research on ‘Factor Fusion’ can advance to the next phase!”
\
The doctors voiced their praise in quick succession, and Zova gave a heavy nod in response.
“Indeed, you have all done well. But this is only the first stage of the plan. Steel yourselves for the second stage. And... these test subjects are valuable experimental samples and useful energy sources. Keep them alive, but do not let them go.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
As things moved forward with frightening smoothness—
“Wh... what...?”
Nia found herself left completely behind.
The <Primordial Flame> possessed not only the Flame of Ruin and the Flame of Creation, but a third power as well—The Power of Plunder.
It was an ability that, in exchange for granting a portion of one’s flame to another, allowed the user to forcibly harvest that person’s mana at any time, from any distance.
In principle, the right to wield that power should have belonged to Nia, the original bearer.
But when she had still been a newborn, she had undergone a “Factor Modification Procedure,” and the control had been stolen by Zova.
“G-grandfather... what... is this...?”
“Think nothing of it. These brats were defective from the start. I merely let them dream for a short while. They should be grateful, not resentful.”
The “Grand Elder” Zova spoke with a wicked grin.
“Th-that’s not true...! They’re not defective! You’re wrong, Grandfather!”
The young Nia resisted with all her might.
But—
“Hmm. It seems you require discipline.”
On one side stood a five-year-old girl. On the other, a three-hundred-year-old Grand Elder.
There was no need to say which would prevail.
Nia was beaten—punched, kicked, struck—then thrown into the mansion’s underground cell.
“Remember this, Nia: you are my property. You live for me, and you will die for me. Engrave that upon your soul.”
In the dark cage where no light reached, Nia lay battered like a rag, silently shedding tears.
...I want to die... I can’t... I just want to die...
She wanted to vanish from this world.
But... if she died here and now, what would happen to those children?
Idiopathic Mana Deficiency Syndrome was a fatal illness.
The vile director had spoken no falsehoods.
Without the power of the <Primordial Flame>, they would not last half a year.
The flame was what tormented them.
But it was also what kept them alive.
The flame she had once been so proud of... she was growing to hate more and more.
I... I have to atone...
Because she had been born with this power—because she had so easily given her Factor—so many children now suffered.
That was what Nia believed... though in truth, the blame lay nowhere on her shoulders.
If not for the existence of the evil called Zova... if not for the fathomless ambition in his heart... if there had been even a shred of humanity in him... this tragedy would never have happened.
But Nia, who was more earnest and more burdened by a sense of responsibility than most, took all of it upon herself.
With her keen mind, she thought carefully.
How... how can I stop Grandfather’s rampage...?
Zova was the head of the Ainsworth family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses, holding immense social influence and staggering power.
Even if a child like her tried to speak out, even if she tried to expose his cruel human experiments—the darkness at his command would crush her without a trace.
I can’t... ask anyone for help.
The Ainsworth estate was Zova’s castle.
Her father, her mother, her tutors, the butlers, the servants—none could defy the Grand Elder.
If he said white, it was white. If he said black, it was black.
To make matters worse, even the upper ranks of the Holy Knights’ Association had people under Ainsworth influence.
That meant she could not count on the knights’ aid either.
The <Primordial Flame> is my Unique Magic... and yet, I could feel part of its power being used by Grandfather. Something... must have been done to this body—no, to my Magic Factor...
Nia’s suspicion had been correct. The Power of Plunder, which should have been hers by right, was firmly in Zova’s grasp.
As things stood, she was utterly cornered.
For a child like Nia, there was nothing she could do.
Convincing Grandfather... is impossible.
There was no reforming that evil. His heart was already rotten to the core.
If I leave him unchecked, even more children will suffer...
Zova was gathering children afflicted with Idiopathic Mana Deficiency Syndrome, intending to use them as the fuel for some grand experiment.
If no one stopped his rampage, hundreds more would eventually fall prey to his fangs.
There’s no choice left... I have to kill Grandfather—kill Zova.
Driven into a corner, Nia could only forge that grim resolve.
A month later, Zova came down into the underground cell.
“Well, Nia, has your head cooled a little?”
“...Yes. I’m sorry. I was wrong. From now on, I will live humbly... as Grandfather’s tool.”
“Good. That’s my clever girl. You’ve understood well.”
Zova embraced her gently, and Nia clenched her fists tight.
Zorva is strong. With my current self, I couldn’t defeat him even if the world turned upside down...
For now, she had to obey.
But that obedience was only on the surface—her spirit remained unbroken.
I have to grow stronger. As fast as I can... a year, a day, even a second sooner...
With that desperate resolve, she devoted herself to relentless training.
She gripped a sword sooner than anyone, learned magic faster than anyone, endured harsher days than anyone.
All of it was for one purpose—to kill Zova, atone for her “sins,” and save the children.
And then, three years later, fate played its trick.
On a brilliantly sunny day, Zova decided it was time to “broaden her horizons” and took her to compete in a Martial Tournament held in the royal capital.
Entering the junior division for those ten and under, she swept through her matches with overwhelming strength, advancing in the blink of an eye to the finals.
Her opponent—Hollow von Heisenberg, heir to the Heisenberg family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
So this is Hollow...
She had heard his name more than a few times.
They said he was a prodigy with unparalleled talent.
They said he was the embodiment of sloth and arrogance.
They said he was the worst child ever crafted by god and devil alike.
Every rumor about him was unsavory—save for one thing they all agreed on: he was absurdly strong.
“And now, we shall begin the final match: Hollow von Heisenberg versus Nia le Ainsworth! Both fighters ready? Then—begin!”
At the signal, Nia immediately drew her sword.
But Hollow didn’t move an inch.
“Yaaawn...”
With a lazy expression, he even let out a long yawn.
“...Hey, the match has already started, you know?”
“And?”
“No, I mean... you’re wide open.”
“Hah... Use that tiny head of yours and think. Who bothers to take a stance just to swat a gnat?”
“...I see.”
Just as the rumors said—he was rotten to the core.
The world might have called him a genius, but he was just another pampered fool of nobility.
Compared to her, who had clawed her way up from the ground, training until her body screamed, he was nothing.
She intended to smash that needlessly handsome face into a swollen mess.
But... the world was cruel.
“Yo.”
“Gah—?!”
“Come on now, it’s too early to be taking a nap, isn’t it?”
“Eek—!”
“What’s the matter? Is that all you’ve got?!”
“Ahh—!”
“Come on, show me that pitiful disgrace of yours!”
“Urgh—!”
She was punched, kicked, slammed, and thrown—utterly crushed without mercy.
Before the eyes of the crowd, she suffered humiliation like never before.
The one-sidedness of the fight sent a considerable stir rippling through the spectators.
“ H–Hey... this is going too far...”
“Yeah... that’s over the line...”
“Hollow von Heisenberg... just as the rumors said, what a vile boy.”
“Hmph, and this is exactly why I can’t stand the Heisenbergs...”
“Shhh! My lord, not so loud!”
As the martial tournament fell under a cloud of unease—
“Hehe... what a pitiful sight. Look around you—every single person in this arena is laughing at your disgrace.”
Assaulted by Hollow’s venomous words—
“Ugh... ggh...”
Nia bit down hard on her shame.
Hollow knew how to break a human being.
How to strike so that bones snapped. How to kick so that the blow rattled the organs. How to throw so that the tendons tore.
And because he knew all that, he understood perfectly—
Exactly how much to hold back so that his opponent’s consciousness wouldn’t fade.
The wicked Hollow took exquisite care to hurt Nia without letting her pass out.
And… she was proud, stubborn, and the type who would never surrender of her own accord.
So even as she was pummeled like a sandbag, beaten and toyed with again and again, she desperately searched for some glimmer of a path to victory.
“...!”
Because Nia still showed a will to fight, however feeble, the referee couldn’t bring himself to stop the match.
“I’m... still... not... done...”
She clutched her sword with trembling hands and tried to strike back—when suddenly her knees buckled.
Ah...
The damage she had endured had finally reached her legs.
“Hehe... I’ll finish this with a bang!”
Before her eyes loomed the devil’s fist.
No... this is it for me...
Nia shut her eyes in terror.
But the blow never came.
“...Hey, Orvin... what is the meaning of this?”
The one who had caught Hollow’s deadly hand was the Heisenberg family’s elderly butler.
“My deepest apologies, young master, but your victory is already beyond question. Might I suggest ending it here?”
“Tch... what a mood-killer.”
With a sharp click of his tongue, Hollow pulled back, and at that same moment, Nia collapsed to the ground.
The referee immediately declared the result.
“That’s enough! Winner—Hollow von Heisenberg!”
And thus, the champion of the martial tournament was decided.
“Still... to think such a fool is counted among the Four Great Noble Houses like me? Truly, nothing could be more unpleasant.”
Those words of contempt rained down from above, and—
“...gh..”
Nia could do nothing but grit her teeth and let the tears stream down her face.
The tournament ended under that strange, oppressive atmosphere.
And from that day forward, the name Hollow von Heisenberg, the lazy, arrogant, and utterly depraved noble, spread infamously throughout the entire Kingdom of Klein.
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