He probably never imagined his disciple would surpass him.
With a serene smile, Rita closely observed Talos, waiting for his reaction.
Talos approached but stopped a few steps away, staring blankly at her.
A mentor should celebrate, rejoice in, and praise their disciple’s growth.
That was the definition of a mentor Rita knew and desired.
“Congratulations, Rita.”
Her mentor, Talos, smiled—the benevolent sage everyone knew.
But the green eyes beneath his curved lids were cold and detached, just like the Talos who had abandoned her in her past life.
Rita let out a short groan as their faces overlapped in her mind.
Perhaps that’s why, this time, she could see the fire in his eyes.
How dare someone like you wield such power?
His smiling eyes, barely concealing his anger, seemed to say as much.
Even though it was just a glance, Rita instantly grasped Talos’s true feelings.
Now it’s certain.
Having seen through his masked facade, she had no more reservations.
With a brief nod, Rita turned to the elders.
“I’m sorry to trouble you all so soon after leaving the Mage Tower.”
“No worries, no worries! Your recovery comes first, doesn’t it? It’s a relief to see you looking well!”
Leman, the elder from the Records Division, closest to sincerity, made a fuss.
Most of the other elders, save a few, chimed in agreement, their gazes fixed on Rita’s golden eyes.
“With such a big incident in the north, of course we had to come. And to think your predictions were right—it’s shocking. We should’ve listened to you more.”
“Indeed. If it weren’t for Rita, things could’ve gotten much worse. How fortunate that we can gather and prepare like this.”
Talos was suddenly sidelined.
The elders’ voices, surrounding the bed, drowned out everything else.
Talos stood by the bedside but remained silent, merely holding his place.
Rita deliberately left no room for him to interject.
The elders’ hypocritical claims that she had been right all along were distasteful, but to sway these rigid old men, she had to endure it.
“No, back then there really was no clear threat. It was just a coincidence born of my personal curiosity and suspicion.”
“Such uncharacteristic humility. You’ve matured, haven’t you?”
“Regardless, it’s a relief to have experienced elders like you here.”
“Don’t worry! With us here, there’s nothing to fear. As you said, we’re more seasoned in battle, so leave it to us.”
By deliberately humbling herself, the elders’ egos swelled further.
This is nauseating.
Rita smirked inwardly while smoothly delivering flattery.
In that moment, Talos stepped forward.
“I’m truly relieved, Rita.”
His calm voice silenced the elders all at once.
“I was worried when you left the Mage Tower. But for such a blessing to be bestowed upon my most exceptional disciple… I must thank the gods. Thanks to you, Rita, the Tower will be stronger moving forward.”
Disciple.
Rita’s face twitched at the hypocritical word.
By praising her as his disciple, Talos was emphasizing their hierarchical relationship.
He’s nervous the elders might turn on him.
Talos, the current Tower Master, was in his sixties.
Even considering the unique nature of mages, he had perhaps thirty years left at most.
Moreover, not being supreme-rank, he could weaken or age at any moment.
By tradition, the Tower Master is respected until death, but the moment Talos showed signs of frailty, the elders would pressure him to step down.
Especially the younger mages in their thirties and forties, the generation just below the elders, were the most dissatisfied with the Tower’s power structure, having lived in the shadow of the rigid old guard.
Even now, they were likely scheming to use Rita and the younger mages to reshape the Tower’s hierarchy.
Excluding a few, I could probably win them over.
The elders, who once treated Rita as an annoying overachiever, now praised her endlessly, saying they always knew she was exceptional.
A few closely tied to Talos remained silent, but it was clear Rita had support.
This might be enough to become Tower Master…
Wait, what am I thinking?
Amid the elders’ fawning, Rita snapped out of it.
Just hours ago, such ambition was mere fantasy, yet now she was calculating it seriously.
Shaking off the uncharacteristic thoughts, she reminded herself that the Tower’s power struggle wasn’t the priority.
What mattered was tracking down Iskis, its fragments, and the beasts spreading across the land.
“You’ve likely been briefed already. Currently, unidentified man-eating creatures are scattered across northern Lagos. The entire Kuyan tribe has been wiped out, and priests from the Rihanes Temple on pilgrimage to the Bielina Sanctuary have been killed.”
Sitting upright on the bed, Rita began, and the elders nodded, listening intently.
It was unimaginable from her days at the Mage Tower.
Swallowing a bitter smile at how her supreme rank had changed the weight of her words, she continued.
“I dealt with the creature that attacked the Kuyan village and what seemed to be its superior. But the one Saint Mikael and I faced escaped from the Bielina Sanctuary.”
“Yes, we heard about that.”
“There were smaller creatures in the cave where the battle took place, likely its offspring. We must consider the possibility of other breeding entities.”
“So, you reached supreme rank… at the Kuyan village?”
Rita’s eyes twitched as she prepared to summarize the events.
The unnecessary question came from Elder Obern.
He tactlessly pressed her to explain the “circumstances.”
Other elders, who had held back for decorum, now looked at her with subtle curiosity.
Rita felt a surge of anger.
But supreme rank was a revered, coveted state for anyone with mana.
As a fellow mage, she couldn’t entirely fault their tactless curiosity, so she explained vaguely.
“While defeating a man-eating monster and purifying its corrupted mana, it just happened.”
She spoke freely, as she’d already told Mikael.
Some might think they could achieve supreme rank by doing the same, but purifying corrupted mana wasn’t something just anyone could do.
“You could’ve died purifying it!”
As Ganesha from the Herbology Division said, “purification” was a life-risking act.
For elders with middling abilities, it was unthinkable.
Maybe Talos could manage it.
Rita glanced at Talos’s expression.
His awkward look turned into a warm smile when their eyes met.
“Oh, Rita. I’m so proud to call you my disciple.”
“What about the pursuit? When does it start?”
Irritated by his repeated emphasis on “disciple,” Rita cut him off sharply.
Given the gravity of the situation, even the embarrassed Talos smoothly shifted topics.
“No need to worry about that. They’re planning to start searching the northeastern sanctuary with a small force first.”
“How many people?”
“Well, the Saint seems to want a team of elite forces. The Children of the Forest are expected to arrive tonight, so they’ll likely set out by tomorrow morning.”
Rita’s eyes widened sharply.
Even if we set aside Sir Valery from the palace or Princess Sercia, the Children of the Forest are coming?
They were a distinct race from southern Lagos, dwelling in the Nashapur Great Forest.
Unlike humans, they were born from a sacred “Divine Tree” and possessed exceptional mana from birth.
Due to their pursuit of harmony and protection of the forest, they came to be called the Children of the Forest.
In Rita’s past life, they had joined the fight against Iskis, but only after the second fragment extermination, arriving late.
Their early involvement now shocked her.
I thought they’d ignore it like last time, thinking it wasn’t their problem.
Did the Temple pressure them, realizing the severity?
Otherwise, such an insular race wouldn’t have answered the call.
Nodding with satisfaction, Rita swallowed a smile.
Thanks to Mikael’s involvement, things were progressing smoothly.
Now, they just needed to unite and exterminate the beasts.
***
That evening, an emergency meeting was held in the Rihanes Temple’s grand conference room.
The Pope, cardinals, the Saint, and the Temple’s top authorities were present, along with Princess Sercia and Knight Valery Gainer representing the palace, the Children of the Forest, and the Mage Tower’s Master and elders.
It was a rare gathering of such prominent figures, and Rita attended the strategy meeting for the “Man-Eating Monster Pursuit and Extermination.”
The meeting, lasting until dawn, was chaotic with so many voices, but with a common enemy, a plan was finalized, and the team was set.
A large-scale extermination would be ideal, but without proof of the beasts’ breeding rate, there was no justification for a massive force.
***
It’s not like I can hope Baal starts breeding now.
Recalling the overnight meeting, Rita let out an irritated sigh.
Currently, she was in the Arenta Sanctuary, northwest of Lagos.
The hastily formed pursuit team was split into two groups to tackle the east and west simultaneously.
The northeastern Bielina Sanctuary was assigned to Group 1, led by Princess Sercia, Valery, and Mikael.
Group 2, including Rita, the Mage Tower mages, and the Children of the Forest, would start searching from the Kuyan village.
“I hear there’s a village nearby. Is it safe?”
“I was told an evacuation order was issued yesterday. All areas near the Harun River have likely been advised to evacuate. Thanks to Bergen’s quick response…”
“It’s been chaos since the first of April.”
“Since the area is quiet for now, let’s head to the Kuyan village while staying vigilant.”
Arenta was the sanctuary closest to the Kuyan village.
They arrived instantly via teleportation circle, but they still had to cross a small forest and the Senetz River to reach the village.
In my past life, Leviathan’s offspring swam across the river.
But she hadn’t seen Leviathan yet, nor any fish-like beasts.
Is Leviathan still pre-breeding?
In my past life, Satan was the only winged one.
If we can stop Leviathan’s breeding first…
Reaching the Senetz River, Rita fell into deep thought.
She suspected Leviathan had nested in a northern lake, but the problem was the many lakes in the region.
Attacking a stronghold preemptively would be ideal, but if asked how she knew, she’d have no answer.
Knowing the information but being unable to speak for fear of suspicion is frustrating.
If I could borrow the Saint’s authority, it’d be easier, but I don’t have enough trust yet…
Lost in thought, Rita suddenly felt eyes on her.
She noticed the elders watching her with expectant gazes, puzzled until she realized no one had summoned a familiar.
They want a demonstration.
They wanted to see the magical prowess of Rita, now a Grand Mage.
A summoned familiar, requiring high imagination, focus, and mana, was perfect for proving her ability.
Glancing at Talos, she saw a hint of anxiety in his eyes, as if he hoped she’d slip up.
Catching his dirty intentions, Rita swallowed a bitter laugh.
Defiantly, she pointed her staff over the water.
“Creation Woven from Dreams.”