The golden chains vanished completely after a few seconds.
Floria collapsed, struggling to steady her ragged breathing.
Rita, watching her, was bewildered.
‘Does a mana stone not always create a supreme-rank mage?’
On the surface, Floria’s mana had undeniably increased.
But no matter how Rita looked at it, it wasn’t at the level of a supreme-rank.
Her lime-green eyes alone confirmed that.
“Why…?”
As Rita grappled with the unexpected outcome, the rest of the group, who had been tracking her, began arriving one by one.
“What happened here?”
The ravaged forest, Baal’s husk of a corpse, the gruesome severed lower body of an unknown victim, and Floria.
While Valery assessed the mages’ conditions, Eilin hurried to Floria’s side.
“Floria, what happened to her?”
Noticing Floria’s change, Eilin looked at Rita with startled eyes.
But Rita was in no state to explain.
She had believed without a doubt that absorbing a mana stone from a fragment would make anyone supreme-rank.
That hope had just been shattered.
“The mother of those insect beasts is dead!”
***
Rita’s group, who had set out to hunt the mother beast, returned to the main camp two days later with Baal’s head and Kerman’s remains.
The glorious return was accompanied by his body.
“We’re deeply sorry. We wanted to recover the upper body swallowed by the beast, but… it was in too horrific a state. After discussion, we burned it on the spot.”
Mikael bowed sincerely to Talos, the Mage Tower Master, and the elder mages.
The mages of the Mage Tower, who had rushed out upon hearing the news, blinked in dismay at the hollow report.
“Rita? What in the world happened? Why Kerman…?”
“…It was a valiant death. Please convey that to Lenore-nim.”
That was all Rita could say.
It was a small mercy that Kerman’s father, Lenore, wasn’t present, known for his deep love for his son.
He would surely be devastated upon learning of his death.
“Tch… It hasn’t been long since Obern’s senseless death, and now the shadow of death looms over our Mage Tower.”
Elder Torgo clicked his tongue, glaring at Rita.
It was a blatant attempt to pin the blame on her.
But Rita frowned, not at his accusation, but at his selfish words.
Obern and Kerman’s deaths were tragic, but were they the only ones?
Countless soldiers had already perished on and off the battlefield.
Such careless remarks shouldn’t be made in front of Sercia or Valery, representatives of the kingdom.
“The elders can handle the remaining procedures.”
Noticing Valery’s eyes narrow sharply, Rita assigned the task to the elders and dismissed them from the tent before they could spout more nonsense.
Though some still cast resentful glances, Rita’s standing had shifted with the Saint’s proclamation, and the elders could only mutter “Understood” to salvage their pride.
“Rita, is something wrong…?”
As the Mage Tower Master, Talos lingered, noticing Floria’s change.
Such a mana shift was of great interest to any mage, so it was natural for Talos to take note.
But Rita had no intention of sharing this sensitive information with him.
“Nothing. Please handle the remaining matters with the elders, Master.”
Her cold reply silenced Talos.
Unwilling to tolerate further discussion, Rita effectively sent him away.
“…No matter how I look at it, that girl seems to know something about me.”
Dismissed, Talos quietly reflected.
“I thought I was acting perfectly. Where did I go wrong?”
But he couldn’t exactly confront Rita about it.
Talos clicked his tongue in frustration.
“And what’s with the Child of the Forest…?”
Pausing, Talos glanced at the tent where the supreme-rank mages remained.
How he wished he could be in there with them.
But what could he do?
The gap between supreme-rank and first-class was like that between nobles and commoners.
With a regretful expression, Talos turned away.
***
“Hilia has suffered severe mental shock and will be excluded from future operations.”
With unnecessary personnel gone, Rita announced Hilia’s decision in the now-quiet tent.
Obern had been the first to die, and Hilia, who had been close to Kerman, was half out of her mind after witnessing his gruesome end, rendering her unfit for further combat.
“Good. We don’t need soldiers who act recklessly.”
Valery Gainer spoke harshly.
He didn’t even mourn Kerman’s death.
His disapproving gaze also fell on Seth, who had contributed to the situation.
“What a heartless old man,” Blena muttered quietly in Seth’s defense.
Thankfully, Valery didn’t hear her.
“…Anyway, with the insect mother dead, the soldiers can rest easier for now. The young mage’s death is tragic, but thanks to it, we accomplished our mission. I respect the choices made by Sir Blena and Sir Seth. So, don’t hang your heads.”
Princess Sercia, unlike the curt Valery, praised Blena and Seth’s courage, even acknowledging the absent Hilia.
Her generosity softened the tense atmosphere in the tent.
“Now, let’s move on to another matter.”
Eilin’s gaze, briefly on Floria, fixed on Rita.
“According to Floria, she gained significant mana from a mana stone formed by the dead mother beast. Is that true?”
The supreme-rank mages, who hadn’t heard the details due to the chaos, turned their attention to Rita.
Since they were all trustworthy, Rita spoke openly.
“Yes. When a mother beast dies, it releases corrupted mana. Purifying it creates a mana stone condensed with vast power. Both Floria-nim and I were affected by such a stone.”
“So, your collapse back then was due to that?”
Mikael recalled Rita’s earlier story, amid the growing murmurs.
He had thought her awakening was a simple response to a life-or-death crisis, but a mana stone?
“Wait… doesn’t that mean it’s essentially the beast’s power?”
“It’s purified, so it’s not the beast’s power.”
Priest Loen’s skeptical murmur was met with Eilin’s scoffing retort.
A brief silence followed, broken by Valery slamming the table and standing.
“So, it’s still power derived from a beast! A Mage Tower mage awakened with beastly power?”
Valery’s face betrayed a hint of contempt, valuing pure power above all.
To him, power from a beast was hard to accept.
Turning sharply to Mikael, he asked,
“What does the Saint think? Is this also a divine blessing?”
“It’s undeniable that Rita-nim received an oracle. Her awakening is God’s will, the Fifth Blessed. Please don’t insult her further with meaningless doubts.”
Rarely, Mikael staunchly defended Rita.
Valery, hoping for a different response, twitched his lips, coughed awkwardly, and sat down.
In the heavy, awkward silence, Rita spoke calmly.
“My power may seem dishonorable compared to yours. But I’m not ashamed. If this ability lets me eradicate beasts, it’s an honor.”
Her steady voice hushed the room.
Eilin, staring at her, gave a faint smile.
“Even with the same method, Floria didn’t become supreme-rank, but you did. That’s your talent and God’s will. Regardless of its origin, in this chaotic era, that power is our salvation.”
Eilin’s gaze lingered on Mikael, their thoughts aligning for the first time.
Mikael nodded with a smile, and Sercia glanced at Valery, signaling him.
“That’s how it is.”
Valery bowed silently in submission.
Sercia, smiling at Rita, turned to Floria with slight regret.
“It’s a pity. If Sir Floria had reached supreme-rank, our forces would have gained immense strength.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m not blaming you. Raise your head. Your growth is still a great blessing to us.”
Ultimately, Floria didn’t become supreme-rank.
Her mana capacity fell short of the supreme-rank threshold, placing her in an ambiguous position between first-class and supreme-rank.
This complicates things.
Rita, who had assumed Floria would naturally become supreme-rank, was thrown off.
She had believed a mana stone of that caliber would elevate anyone, regardless of talent—an error in judgment.
Even Eilin, who had praised Floria as a prodigy of Nashapur, seemed disappointed.
Floria herself, however, was content with her growth.
“Ahem. So, we can artificially boost someone’s mana with these stones. If we defeat the other mother beasts, we could do it again?”
Valery licked his lips.
“Using those stones could greatly bolster our forces.”
“Who gets the mana stone should be Sir Rita’s decision. She’s the only one who can purify the corrupted mana, isn’t she?”
Surprisingly, Sercia declared firmly.
This was welcome news for Rita, who had been worried about the ownership of future mana stones.
“But, Princess…”
“Sir.”
“…Understood.”
“The Princess is right. Since only Rita-nim can purify corrupted mana, it’s only right she decides the stones’ ownership.”
Eilin agreed with Sercia.
Mikael, Valery, Loen, Felix, Floria, and even Blena, Seth, and Alois, listening from a distance, nodded in agreement.
“But… we should keep this to ourselves. If it gets out that mana stones from beasts aided Rita-nim and Floria-nim’s awakenings, everyone will covet them.”
Mikael voiced his concern quietly.
Even Valery, silenced by the Princess’s pressure, agreed.
“The old foxes won’t stay quiet. Rita, you’re wiser than that old fox Talos, so I’ll follow your decision.”
Rita bowed in gratitude for their generous support.
With the complicated issue resolved, everyone felt lighter, but Rita’s expression remained dark.
“Great Mage…!”
Right after the confidential discussion ended, Alois hurriedly chased after Rita as she left the tent.
Hesitating, he cautiously asked,
“Are… are you alright?”
The naive noble boy was concerned about Kerman’s death.
As fellow Mage Tower members, he assumed Rita and Kerman were close and was tactlessly checking on her.
Rita gave a bitter smile with a strained expression before turning away.
“Hey, wait…!”
“Rita!”
As Alois tried to follow, Blena rushed past him.
Alois could only stand still, watching helplessly.