Completely different from the usual dry heat and emptiness when the magic crest acts up.
That warm sensation rising from her lower abdomen felt more like a… internal pull, a subtle and continuous suction, as if something deep inside her was slowly awakening and beginning to draw nourishment.
“Mmm…”
Sefina involuntarily let out a short groan, her fingers tightening around the teacup trembling slightly.
She clearly felt that the mana originally flowing smoothly within her was now uncontrollably gathering toward her lower abdomen, and then… being absorbed thread by thread into the burning Rune of the magic crest!
Could it be…
A terrifying conjecture instantly pierced her mind.
The ancient records state that the “growth” of a magic crest does not happen out of thin air. Could it be that it needs to absorb the host’s mana as nourishment to complete its transformation from the first stage to the second stage?!
The magic crest isn’t… about to start developing into the second stage now, is it?!
Just thinking of this possibility made Sefina feel a wave of chilling dread, her scalp tingling.
What does the second stage mean? Unable to satisfy oneself, craving the touch of others…
That would completely break through all the defenses she had struggled to maintain!
No! No! Absolutely not!
She absolutely must not let the magic crest develop to the second stage!
A strong resistance and sense of crisis overwhelmed everything. Sefina could no longer care about the remaining ingredients on the table or the warm atmosphere around her.
She abruptly put down her chopsticks, and without even taking a moment to explain to her students, suddenly stood up and rushed to her room on the second floor without looking back, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Leaving the people at the table looking at each other in bewilderment.
“What’s wrong with Teacher?” Mia murmured softly, biting the tip of her chopsticks, her blue eyes full of confusion and worry.
Ellaria’s emerald eyes followed Sefina’s hastily disappearing figure, thoughtful, and she lowered her voice: “Teacher… that came again?” She was obviously referring to the magic crest acting up.
“Wasn’t it just yesterday…” Kefi also whispered, a trace of unease flashing through her pale blue eyes.
“Teacher’s expression just now seemed to be not just embarrassment, but also a kind of… pain that she was desperately suppressing?”
Despite their worry, based on their understanding of Sefina and respect for her privacy, the three tacitly agreed not to follow immediately.
They attributed the teacher’s abnormality to another unfortunate magic crest episode, though the frequency seemed distressingly high.
Everyone silently collected their thoughts, continued to clean up the remaining hot pot ingredients, wash the dishes and chopsticks, wipe the table, restore the living room to tidiness, and leave the space for the teacher to deal with it herself.
However, on Sefina’s side, the situation was far more serious than they imagined.
After rushing back to her room and locking the door, Sefina leaned against the door panel and panted a few times, then immediately threw herself onto the bed.
Without hesitation, she lifted her dress and looked at her lower abdomen by the dim snowy light coming through the window.
Sure enough!
The Rune that had originally been just a dark color was now emitting an extremely faint glow, flickering like breathing.
Even more alarming, the edges of the Rune were slowly and clearly spreading outward, outlining an even more complex and bizarre pattern.
And this was exactly the evolution toward the second stage form described in the ancient records!
Moreover, she could perceive with absolute clarity that the mana within her was surging uncontrollably toward that Rune like a raging tide, being greedily absorbed by it.
No! She absolutely must not let it transform into the second stage!
Sefina gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate all her spirit, using her superb mana control skills to interfere with and block the torrent of mana flowing to the magic crest.
Sefina wanted to “pull” her mana back, to peel it away from that Rune that seemed like a bottomless pit.
At first it seemed to have some effect; the rate of mana loss seemed to slow a tiny bit.
Sefina felt a surge of joy in her heart and focused even more on manipulating the flow of every strand of mana within her, building a mental dam.
However, the good times did not last.
That magic crest seemed to have its own will; upon sensing the host’s resistance, its suction suddenly intensified.
It was no longer passively absorbing but more like actively extracting. The fragile defense Sefina had just built was instantly overwhelmed, and the rate of mana loss became even more ferocious than before!
No… at this rate it’s just a drop in the bucket…
Fine cold sweat seeped from Sefina’s forehead, and her face began to pale.
She could feel her mana reserves rapidly depleting, and that feeling of emptiness and weakness gradually spreading.
It seemed her resistance had only slightly delayed the speed of the magic crest’s devouring, but could not fundamentally stop its advance toward the second stage.
The Rune of the magic crest, under the dim light, was still growing at a visible rate, the dark purple glow still shining.
Sefina felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness and panic. Could it be… that she really could only watch helplessly as it completed its transformation?
She could almost foresee what a desperate situation she would fall into the moment her mana was drained, or when the magic crest absorbed enough “nourishment” to complete its transformation.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the others were completely unaware of Sefina’s situation.
***
After dinner, everyone cleaned up the dishes together and enjoyed their post-dinner leisure time.
Flovi was sitting on the sofa reading a novel, a novel bought from the western continent, and she found it very interesting.
Feliel was also reading a novel, recommended to her by Flovi. With the attitude of just casually reading since she had nothing else to do, she eventually became immersed in the words.
The Three Scoops were also doing their own things, among them Kefi was making hot cocoa for everyone, after all, winter calls for hot drinks.
Everyone else accepted the hot drinks Kefi made, but Teacher Sefina had not yet received hers.
Should I go upstairs and bring it to her? It’s been one hour already, she should have finished dealing with it, right…
However, upstairs, Sefina was still engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the magic crest.
Just when Sefina’s mind was violently wavering, and she was even beginning to find it difficult to maintain her sitting posture—
Knock, knock, knock.
A gentle knock sounded.
Immediately after, Kefi’s voice, tinged with hesitation and concern, came from outside the door: “Teacher, are you in there? I made hot cocoa… everyone has some, this cup is yours.”
Sefina’s body trembled slightly. She heard it, of course she heard it.
Kefi’s voice was like a thin needle, gently piercing the silence in the room.
Sefina wanted to answer, even if just to say, “I’m fine, just leave it at the door.”
But at this moment, Sefina could not even muster a shred of strength to make a sound.
All her mind and remaining mana were used to fight a life-and-death battle with the greedy “black hole” in her abdomen; any slight relaxation could become the last straw that breaks the camel’s back, causing her mana to be instantly drained and the magic crest to completely transform.
So Sefina could only sit stiffly on the bed, biting her lower lip, enduring the weakness and cold brought by the rapid loss of mana, and the burning heat brought by the magic crest’s continuous growth.
Sefina’s wine-red eyes were tightly closed, her long lashes trembling slightly, cold sweat soaking her forehead hair and the fabric on her back.
Outside the door, Kefi held the cup of cocoa whose heat was gradually dissipating, and waited for a moment.
There was no response from inside the door, and it was strangely quiet.
Even Teacher Sefina’s Magic Power Wave seemed… chaotic at this moment.
The worry in Kefi’s eyes grew deeper and deeper.