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Frank was being slowly pressured by the aura that Reuberto, the High Priest was putting over him the moment he entered the room. Although he was faking his resistance very well, he noticed that Gwendolyn nor Annabelle noticed it aside from him. ​​

The Aura that Reuberto exuded was strong, and seemed to put weight over Frank… for a moment, he began to think that it might be some kind of Spell.

But the question that arose in his mind was simple in such a situation. Why?

"(Why is he exactly putting this pressure on me? Well, thanks to my high resistance stat, I seem to be capable of bearing it quite… fine. Although it still a pressure nonetheless… Is he doing this as a trial? To intimidate me, is it? Perhaps to make me fearful so I spit out the answers to his questions to come? I have to let him know that I am not intimidated by him, but simply yelling or confronting him won't do it… Mana Control)" thought Frank, as he used his Mana Control Skill, exuding his Mana from his body and controlling it in a way that permeated his body. Although this was similar to Body Aura, it was more magically oriented, so he named it Mana Aura, and it became a new spell too.

The Mana Aura was unnoticeable as well and battled well enough against Reuberto's pressure that had started the moment he sat down in front of him.

Reuberto quickly noticed, as his smile widened, almost to resemble a creepy one.

"(Is this guy really my ally…?)" Frank wondered.

"Now, Frank. I have a question for you. You have acquired Abraddon-sama's Divine Protection and even his Champion brand! But I am rather curious about how you feel about all of this. Do you want to become the champion of the beast-kin?" asked Reuberto with a direct question right into Frank.

Everyone fell silent as Frank began to think about a proper answer to Reuberto's question.

"Well, to be honest, I am not sure. Everything happened quite suddenly, and I am still very overwhelmed about all of this. I am not sure either if there was ever a Human with this crest, was there any before me?" asked Frank.

"No, you're the first one in history, Frank. The crest or brand of Abraddon's Champion is an especially important one, you know? It represents the guardian of our Nation, the guardian of our kin. For that to be a member of another race is a bit baffling. So, it is understandable that there might be people that envy you or disagrees with you being the new champion," said Reuberto.

"Is this why you're asking me if I am willing to become the Champion, and hero of our Nation?" asked Frank.

"Yes. Since times untold that the wearers of the Champion Brand of the Gods of Terra had become the representants of their respective Nations. The Heroes of our world and the ones that protect it from outside threats. There is even a tale, where an incredibly strong Rank 10 Monster surged from within an enormous Labyrinth in a faraway continent, the Demon King, who threatened the world itself. Only when the Heroes gathered together from all the nations, was when the Demon King was finally defeated… And to tell you the truth, this tale is very true, it happened," said Reuberto.

"I understand your point, but why are you telling me this tale? It is not like there is another Demon King, right? That happened long ago, assuming it by your tone and its meaning as a 'tale'," said Frank.

"Indeed, I was telling you this because of the importance of your position now. Although most of the Nation is still unaware, only more and more responsibilities will befall upon you from now on, Frank-kun. You'll have to train very well to accomplish everyone's expectations, and those of our nation as well… Unless you don't care about our nation, and simply want to do as you please?" asked Reuberto.

"I… I kind of want to do whatever I want, Reuberto. To tell you the truth, I just want to earn money and have a peaceful life. All the responsibilities you are giving to me feel terrible… But I am also not a bad person. And because I've already forged bonds with the people of this place, I feel that I have to do this to repay their kindness, and also, to protect them," said Frank.

"Hoh? (I did not expect that response. I was pressuring him to accept my duties, but he seems to have used his own magic to counter mine within seconds. And even now, I thought that he would refuse… But to think that he is so confident over his decisions. Impressive. I really thought that he would not want to do this. It is a bit obvious, he's a human, even with the brand, he has no responsibility…)" thought Reuberto.

"Frank-kun, don't you feel used by our Nation? Even after having considered that you will have to protect the people here? Even if you know this family, it is only a grain of salt compared to the rest of the nation's population… Are you truly willing to work towards people that will discriminate against you, and even try to kill you multiple times in the days to come?" asked Reuberto, giving Frank a cold stare.

"No. I am not willing to help those people. And if they ever try to harm me, I will dispose of them. However, for those willing to believe in me, and for those willing to help me as I help them, I will protect them. What you say is very realistic, yes, and I had that in mind beforehand. But it is also realistic to think that not everyone in the nation is like this. The world is not simply all filled with scum, even realism can get to become unrealistic when you take out of consideration all the good-hearted people that exist in the world, Reuberto. They do exist, this family is an example of that," said Frank.

"…Impressive, Hero," said Reuberto, his eyes widened as he heard Frank's response, it was simply getting to the point, while also showcasing his realistic look on life, while also showing that he always thought that there was hope in people, no matter how much scum there could be, there would always be ten good-hearted people as well.

Just as how natural it was for people to be selfish and scums, it was also very natural for other people to be good-hearted, kind, and understandable, while also striving forward to protect their family.

"See? What did I tell you?" said Gwendolyn.

"I… rest my case. I see how you are doing things, Frank. I agree on a lot with your mindset. But there is a clear disadvantage in you, something that will not make people follow you…" said Reuberto.

Flash!

Suddenly, Reuberto released a stream of Mana towards Frank in a split of a second. However, Frank instinctively intercepted it with his own Mana Aura, as he shielded himself with his arms.

"Reuberto, what are you doing?!" asked Gwendolyn.

"Uwaahh!" cried Annabelle.

Clash!

Both Reuberto's stream of pure mana and Frank's Mana Aura clashed against each other constantly, like two ocean waves, creating impacts each time they hit each other.

"Do you think that you can even make a difference with your current strength, Frank? In the world of Terra, strength is everything! No matter how advanced our society is, no matter how many years come! Everything is always about strength!" said Reuberto.

"I know that very well, Reuberto! And I am not as weak as you imagine! I will work hard, and become strong enough to forge my beliefs into those that do not agree with me, even if I have to use brute force! I know very well how this world works, trust in my conviction! I am not a baseless person!" said Frank, his eyes flashed with a golden hue as Reuberto felt a strange presence glancing over him.

Reuberto felt as if Frank, despite still being Rank 1 on his cultivation, had strong enough Mana to rival his, a Rank 3 Mana Core cultivator. Although he was not near as strong to make any of his words believable to the people of this nation, he had the talent to one day become like this.

"(If I were to use any Spells, I would be able to quickly overpower him… but this, it is already impressive enough… And this Mana, it is incredibly pure. Just what kind of Magic is this?)" wondered Reuberto, as he stopped his 'attack'.

Things fell into silence a bit as Frank began to breathe heavily. Despite all of his Skills, he knew deep down that if he were to actually confront Reuberto, he would most likely die. However, Reuberto did not 'attack' Frank because he wanted to defeat him, but it was to prove his conviction.

"Impressive. I am in a bit of awe, to be honest. I apologize for my sudden confrontation, Gwendolyn, Annabelle-chan… I was trying to test Frank's conviction, it seems that despite going against the odds of my power, he still yelled at me like an energetic young man. He is indeed fitting of a Hero, you have to yell a lot, just as the tales say!" said Reuberto.

"Yell? (Wait… like in anime where the more someone yells, the stronger he gets? Wait a moment, is this how Heroes did it too in the past in Terra?! Sigh…)"

"Sigh… Reuberto, don't do this again!" said Gwendolyn.

"Okay, calm down Gwen, haha! It was just a little test, perhaps a prank?" said Reuberto. Despite being stronger than her, he seemed a bit intimidated by Gwendolyn's rage.

"Frank-kun, I believe in you. I honestly believe that you, a human, can become an admirable Hero. For now, I will handle a few things regarding you. So rest assured, whenever you hear of me again, you will be moving to the capital, like you, alongside Annabelle and the kids in here will be joining the prestigious Magus Academy," said Reuberto.

"Well, I was already planning to send him there… you see…" muttered Gwendolyn, telling Reuberto about Frank's 'double core' and everything else.

"What?! Is that so… I guess that's why Abraddon-sama made him his champion…" said Reuberto.

"(I better tell them this before more misconceptions are made in the future…) Actually, I just discovered that I only have one core, I can use other spells because it is a strange core that can learn any spell, named Gray Core," said Frank.

"Huh? How could you tell?" asked Gwendolyn.

"Is that… true?" asked Reuberto in awe.

"Yes… (Time to lie a bit). Abraddon-sama has visited my dreams last night, and he has given me this revelation. This was one of the reasons why he made me his champion…" said Frank.

"You… saw… A-A-Abraddon-sama?! In your dreams?! What a bliss!" said Reuberto.

"Impressive, Frank-kun!" said Gwendolyn.

"…Is he not lying, right?" asked Annabelle.

"I can prove it because I am capable of shaping my Mana and creating Spells without having to learn them beforehand. This is one of the abilities of my Gray Mana Core and my Innate Gray Magic… Mana Threads, Mana Aura," said Frank, showing his Mana threads, the Mana Aura, the Mana Bullets, the Spinning Mana Bullets, and even the Flying Mana Spears to everyone present in the backyard.

"Those spells are way too strong! You didn't know them yesterday, I am sure!" said Gwendolyn.

"It is truly as he said then… I knew it! This magic… Pure Mana, is a new type of magic… A new Attribute?" asked Reuberto with fascination.

"I call it No-Attribute, as it is mana on its purest form. But the magic by itself is called Gray Magic…" said Frank.

"To think that the ability to wield pure mana was possible…" said Reuberto.

"Mana cannot be used without an attribute beforehand, to be able to use it as pure Mana… That's something only Gods are capable of, you know. You're truly a Hero in the making, Frank!" said Gwendolyn.

"(I think I might have shown off too much…)" thought Frank as he released a bitter smile.

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