“So this is also a place where mages can train their physical strength!! They intentionally limited mana use!”
Evelyn shouted as if she had made an incredible discovery, causing Raven to take a step back.
“The knights’ aura control feels unnatural too. I thought it was purposely designed to maximize physical training!”
Evelyn exclaimed in admiration without hiding her excitement.
If mages could eliminate their physical weaknesses, their magic would become stronger and last longer.
High-ranking mages are said to barely feel fatigue due to mana, but improving basic physical strength would still give them a major advantage.
“We should mandate training time for mages to use this ruin too.”
“What?!”
“That’s a great idea.”
Reactions to Evelyn’s statement were divided.
All the mages, like Raven, were horrified, while only Elliot nodded in agreement, calling it a brilliant plan.
“Once they see the space designed for mages, they’ll definitely want to try it.”
Enduring the pure, surging mana of nature would certainly require physical stamina.
Even the knights had to absorb aura in that space before beginning their training. Although they couldn’t use aura during training, they said pre-charging it made their bodies feel subtly different.
With a smile, Evelyn pressed the button marking the mana space, looking at the mages gathered in front of her.
“Ohh!”
“Huff!”
As they entered the room where they could gather mana and aura, the mages each reacted differently.
“Oh?”
The calmest among them was Raven. He closed his eyes, feeling mana rising to his heart.
It felt as if mana was being engraved into every part of his body.
Fwoooosh!
“Wha?!”
“Insane!!”
A sudden explosion of mana burst from Raven’s body, and nearby mages scrambled to get away.
“Did you just reach 7th-circle just by entering the training room?!”
One mage rolled their eyes in disbelief. Something unthinkable had just happened.
How sensitive must his body be to mana, to complete a circle the moment he entered a high-purity mana zone?
“His presence has definitely changed.”
At those words, Elliot nodded. It felt different from knights, but there was a unique aura that strong people exuded.
Everyone could sense that Raven’s aura had grown stronger.
“Told you I’d make it amazing, right?”
Evelyn winked at Raven, who looked at his hand in disbelief.
“You’re right. For someone with high mana sensitivity, surpassing two or three circles would be easy here.”
Feeling the mana wrapping around his body, Raven smiled. He felt like he could do anything in this place.
7th-circle already.
To be a hero’s companion, one would probably need to be an archmage at minimum.
Who knows how much the former Hero had prepared—but in this place, there was potential to forcibly raise the skills of those lagging behind.
‘Not for the Empire, but if it’s for Evelyn, I can do it.’
Raven’s red eyes turned toward Evelyn. That’s when he noticed the golden light surrounding her.
Was the Grand Duke always seeing her like this?
Now that they’d entered the domain of a transcendent, Evelyn’s presence was overwhelming.
Did she not even realize how incredible she was?
Thinking that, Raven could understand why Grand Duke Graham had grabbed her the moment he recognized her existence.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Tone down your aura.”
Evelyn frowned at Raven’s sudden comment.
“What are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you releasing aura right now?”
“Did reaching 7th-circle mess up your brain?”
Evelyn’s pale hand reached for his forehead and touched it gently, warmer than her own.
Tap.
“I am not releasing aura.”
“What the heck, seriously.”
Evelyn clicked her tongue at Raven’s absurd accusation and the way he harshly knocked her hand away, as if it were poisonous.
He spouted nonsense all the time anyway.
Shaking her head, Evelyn glanced at the mages looking at Raven in awe, and pitied them.
‘He’s not going to leave this place alone.’
Soon, not only knights but also mages would be groaning through their training in the ruin.
“I need to check out more of this place.”
Raven said with a bright smile. The mages stiffened.
‘We’re doomed.’
That thought ran through everyone’s minds simultaneously. They belonged to the Grand Duchy, but they weren’t ignorant of the rumors about the Magic Tower.
Raven, though young, was one of the most talented mages—and once he got hooked on something, he was known to be more meticulous, picky, and relentless than anyone.
Judging by his face, not only would they not be leaving tonight, they might be stuck here for a week straight.
“Well then, good luck everyone!”
The mages couldn’t stop the Duchess from walking away with a smile.
Especially not with Grand Duke Graham glaring at them from behind, silently commanding them to get to work.
“Now, it seems searching the ruin is no longer our priority.”
Once Evelyn left, Raven’s tone turned cold.
“The Hero has been chosen and a ruin left by the former Hero has been discovered. That points to one thing.”
Gulp.
The mages slowly swallowed.
“The Evil God is going to resurrect?”
“Of course. That’s why this place was left behind. We need to grow stronger, faster than anyone.”
This place was built for that very purpose. Just by ascending one circle, he could see things he hadn’t before.
“This place is perfect.”
Raven’s eyes slowly scanned the space. The walls were covered in magic circles.
“Anyway, you all need to get stronger for the sake of the North, don’t you? If you can’t grow, don’t expect to leave.”
Soon, regardless of affiliation, they’d need to band together to survive.
Raven’s red eyes reflected the frozen faces of the mages.
“To survive, we must get stronger.”
“No, we—we’ll do it ourselves—”
Ramaine, one of the mages of the Grand Duchy, tried to say they’d train on their own, but under Raven’s overwhelming presence, she could only awkwardly sit back down.
*
“Tinya! Where’s Seril?!”
The moment Evelyn returned from the ruin, she headed straight to her room, calling for Tinya.
“Her arm is healed!”
Waaaah!
Tinya, who had been waiting for her master in the bedroom, burst into tears the moment she reported Seril’s condition to Evelyn.
“If I hadn’t asked her to—hic—fix the watch—”
Tinya sobbed, wiping her tears and gasping for breath.
“She wouldn’t have gotten hurt—hic.”
Evelyn patted her back and paused.
“The watch? You mean the one I gave you?”
“Yes, sob. It suddenly stopped, and Seril said she knew a place that could fix it.”
Tinya nodded innocently.
“She was going out that day anyway, so she said she’d drop it off for me. But of all days—”
Of all days, monsters invaded the territory.
“It’s not your fault. No one could have predicted monsters crossing over.”
“Sniff… It’s a relief her arm was found. They say she’ll be able to move it fine again after just a week of rest.”
It seemed Tinya had already visited Seril while Evelyn was in the ruin. As Evelyn comforted her, Tinya calmed down and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
“That’s good to hear. I’ll give Seril a long vacation so she can rest until she’s completely healed. So don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
Tinya said it was a relief and wiped her tears again.
“Northern medicine is really amazing. In the capital, they’d call for a priest to heal injuries. But here, they say you can treat things using potions and holy water even without one.”
Evelyn nodded. Seril’s calm face as she talked, despite losing an arm, came to mind.
She seemed so composed, like she truly believed she would be fine.
“I heard their medical methods evolved because there are so few priests in the North, but I didn’t expect they could reattach a severed arm perfectly.”
“Me neither.”
Tinya laughed awkwardly.
“You must’ve been shocked too, Lady Evelyn. I’m sorry for crying so much.”
“It’s understandable. Tinya…”
Evelyn gently patted Tinya’s shoulder and hesitated. She felt guilty for hiding the fact that she was the Hero from her.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
Sensing her longtime mistress’s unease, Tinya straightened up and asked.
“There’s something I can’t tell you right now.”
“Is it classified?”
“Yes. Some people know, but only because I had no choice but to tell them.”
Tinya calmly listened and simply shrugged.
