“Hey…”
I glared at the pile of papers in front of me.
They were filled with all sorts of information about the human body, expressed through words and drawings, scattered messily.
“It might be better to tilt the angle of the wrist a bit more inward. The current structure puts too much strain on the muscles.”
At my words, Mira slightly shook her head.
Then she handed me a piece of paper.
I took it and examined it.
Written on it were the various transformation processes of Cassian that she had observed so far.
“I actually think moving outward would be better. That body holds far more limitless potential than you think, Evron. Even points that seem strained could transform into new possibilities.”
I nodded slightly.
I had been foolish.
Until now, I had been thinking of this structure in terms of what I had dealt with before.
This body was unlike anything I had ever seen.
As she said, if enduring more pain could grant more possibilities, it might be worth pursuing that path.
“Excuse me, sir…”
I glanced again at the papers I had written so far.
If that was the case, these were merely references, and it was necessary to create a completely new set of standards moving forward.
I organized the papers to one side and took out a fresh sheet.
Somehow, I finally understood why I always felt something lacking when I made Cassian’s dolls in the past.
It was inevitable—I hadn’t grasped these limitations properly.
Without Mira, I would have never known.
A new direction had been set.
I felt my hands itching with excitement.
“In that case, I suppose we’ll need to experiment. It seems I still don’t fully understand that body.”
“Hehe, that’s a great idea.”
Mira and I exchanged smiles.
“Ugh.”
A short scream echoed, followed by a thud from somewhere nearby.
Looking over, I saw Cassian sprawled on the ground, limp and exhausted.
“Can I rest for a moment…?”
She looked at us with her signature blank eyes, now slightly damp, evoking sympathy.
Mira approached her with a smile and patted her head.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect you to struggle this much.”
Mira slowly embraced Cassian.
Cassian’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Mira, who began to exhale a soft mist.
The mist enveloped Cassian’s entire body.
“But there’s no time to rest. This is all for your sake, Cassian.”
Cassian shook her head in dismay, her expression full of dread.
But the mist naturally guided her body.
She was soon back on her feet.
Mira slowly placed her hands on Cassian’s body and began touching it here and there.
Under her touch, Cassian’s body transformed once again.
“Now, shall we swing the sword again?” Mira said, stepping back from Cassian.
With a reluctant expression, Cassian swung her sword.
I nodded quietly.
Mira was right.
The trajectory of the sword was far more precise than I had imagined.
The sword dance, performed solely with the power of the body, was stunningly beautiful.
I recorded the entire process on video, jotting down notes on paper, continuing to reflect and think.
***
This happened on the sixth day of being confined in this room.
The second duel was scheduled for tomorrow.
But I was confident.
She was completely different now compared to before.
So much effort had gone into creating her like this.
It took an entire day for her to wake up initially.
Her wounds had been severe, and she had been utterly drained.
While she was unconscious, Mira and I had many conversations.
My first question was why Cassian had been injured.
‘If she had fought an opponent of equal rank, she wouldn’t have had a scratch. That was the Cassian I had known for the past five years.’
‘She had even bested the heirs of great families and those who had reached the third level. She had always survived to the end during the twenty sessions of rigorous training. Every time she participated in the tournaments I occasionally held, she had claimed victory. For someone like her to end up so wounded—what had happened?’
“It’s probably because she couldn’t use her magic power,” Mira said.
“She has an innate talent for handling magic, equal to or greater than her talent with the sword or her physical abilities.”
She exhaled a mist.
The mist split into three layers, each with a distinct color.
They swirled together, forming a figure resembling a human body—one similar to Cassian’s.
The figure began to move.
The three mists also naturally followed its movements.
“Think of this as the total sum of her talents. All these talents merge together to create her entire being. But if she can’t use her magic power during a duel…”
Mira extracted the darkest-colored mist.
A large gap immediately appeared, and the movements of the figure became awkward.
The mist also struggled to maintain the body’s form.
“This is what would happen. Of course, just because she lacks magic doesn’t mean all her talents vanish. But for her, using magic is as natural as breathing. If that’s blocked…”
Her opponent wouldn’t face the same limitation.
Mira smiled as she spoke. I nodded.
‘If what she said was true, then it made sense. With her talents so compromised, it was as if Cassian’s body was full of holes.’
The fact that she still managed to win was even more remarkable.
Her opponent must have prepared thoroughly for the duel.
That conversation sparked an exchange of many questions and answers.
During this, a thought occurred to me.
“Mira, does adjusting Cassian take a lot of time?”
“No. Constantly tweaking her is just my way of harmonizing with her body to control it perfectly. It doesn’t take much effort to simply adjust her.”
Mira lightly shook her head, resting her chin on her fingers as she looked at me.
“Did something occur to you?”
“Yes, perhaps.”
I folded my arms and looked at Cassian.
With her extraordinary talents, she would continue to feel discomfort during future duels as long as her senses remained intact.
I opened my mouth slowly.
“In that case, we’ll need to modify Cassian again.”
“Modify her? But we can’t make her more perfect than she already is. All I can do is further solidify her current structure.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
What I wanted wasn’t perfection—it was imperfection.
“We need to block her talents. She must no longer be able to use magic power, or even sense it. Can you do that?”
Mira narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“It’s possible, as long as she agrees. But why do you want to do such a thing?”
“As you mentioned earlier, she has incredible talents. Mira, in your opinion, how extraordinary are Cassian’s abilities?”
After a brief moment of thought, Mira replied.
“Among all the people I’ve seen, only Irien surpasses her talents. When someone has exceptional talents, the aura their body exudes changes.”
As she said this, Mira licked her lips lightly and smiled at me.
“Of course, you, Evron, are ordinary. But your soul has the sweetest scent. Normally hidden, but when it cracks, the fragrance is irresistible.”
She leaned close, her lips slightly wet. A doll standing nearby cautiously wiped her mouth. I chuckled dryly at the sight.
“…Let’s set that aside for now. Anyway, Cassian’s overwhelming talents have turned into a weakness. That’s the result we see in her now.”
I looked at Cassian, who was peacefully sleeping, wrapped in a misty veil.
The scars etched into her body were slowly fading away within the mist.
“So, we block her magic power. Not just for the second duel, but for all future battles, she should be unable to sense magic at all.”
I looked at Mira.
I trusted her.
Or rather, I trusted her power—the power to sense exactly what she desired.
She treated Cassian as the ultimate prey.
She didn’t even glance at the other trainees.
That’s why I, too, could believe in Cassian’s talents.
“I think that if her body is remade purely as a weapon for duels without magic, there’s a good chance of victory.”
I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts, then carefully continued.
“Actually, the lack of magic in the duels might make her even more capable. Those who face her in the future will be of a much higher caliber. Naturally, there will be an overwhelming difference in the amount of magic they possess.”
Mira’s lips curled into a delighted smile.