On the training ground. All great mages have a goal they pursue their entire lives.
Some call great mages sages, but in truth, all great mages are nothing more than “naughty children.”
They stubbornly believe in the path they study, stubbornly pursue the truth they have identified…
Then they throw themselves into the great fire called magic, either turning to ashes or being reborn from the ashes.
From his first step into the hall of magic to becoming a great mage now, the white-bearded old man has crossed nearly two hundred years.
Longevity. That is the “truth” the old man pursues.
Perhaps the Imperial Royal Family took a liking to this, or perhaps they took a liking to the defense magic he developed for longevity… Compared to the other eleven great mages, this old man with almost no killing power was able to join the ranks of great mages.
The Empire gave him resources, status, and time, but he never broke through the great barrier of immortality.
So he completely became a pawn of the Empire, a standard to measure the value of others.
So now… Facing the magic circle that was like a sky full of stars, he laughed.
Whether he could defend or not aside, he only felt that his nearly two hundred years of life was a joke.
“Just a girl less than 20 years old can use magic of this level.”
Countless beams of light fell from the magic circle, like stars falling from the sky, like a god’s judgment on blasphemers.
The old man laughed. The anger in his eyes was replaced by a sense of relief at this moment.
The next instant, a new pulse of magic spread out centered on the old man.
This pulse was not as fierce as the one Elena had aroused earlier; it was more like a candle about to burn out, igniting an ancient tree about to wither.
This would be the last great fire. Would the falling stars in the sky be brighter—or would the towering ancient tree that uses itself as fuel burn into a great fire pointing to the sky?
“Come!”
The staff struck the ground hard, and thousands of defensive barriers instantly stacked and unfolded, facing the falling stars.
Then the next instant… Impact. A blinding white light burst forth instantly, engulfing everyone present.
In the white light, time seemed to flow very slowly.
Elena continuously strengthened the mana she poured in, not caring at all about the sound of defensive barriers breaking that kept ringing. She only found it noisy.
‘Why does someone always have to lay a hand on people important to me?’
‘Why can I never be by the side of people important to me in time?’
Anger and regret, when thinking of that silver-haired girl’s smile, became the fire that burned reason, making everything in Elena’s eyes so hateful… so… pitch black.
‘Sirius, fine…’
‘Witch, fine…’
‘Monster Tide, fine, Leviathan, fine!’
‘The Duchy, fine, the Empire, fine, the White God Holy Church, fine, the Black God Church, fine!!’
‘The malice of this damn world, fine!!!’
‘If fate is to kiss me with suffering, then let this world be destroyed!’
‘All my endurance has been the shackles that bound me—this power I carry is not meant to become the crime of the judged!’
“Break!”
After the final cracking sound came the roar of the earth being torn apart.
Then the white light dispersed, leaving only ruins.
On the ground that looked like a meteor impact, only a single patch of intact land remained.
And on that island-like land, the tattered white-bearded great mage still held his staff and persisted.
But he had no power left to resist.
“Don’t come near me, waaah QAQ!!! Mom!!!”
At that moment, the silver-haired girl’s wail rang out again.
“Ai’er!”
Elena did not linger. She whirled around and flew toward the stands.
She left only a mess and a dead silence that filled the entire arena.
…
Facing the magical device broadcasting live, the entire meeting hall was silent.
The meeting hall was spacious. Behind the rectangular long table, the huge statue of the White God seemed to emit a faint white light.
“Does anyone have any comments?”
Even though the archbishop asked, none of the priests and bishops present dared to speak.
Such a cataclysmic scene seemed to be the result of the “Witch” suppressing her power.
Under such terrifying mana pulse, only the center of the training ground was destroyed; no other area was affected.
But the silence of the people at this moment was not because of the power the girl displayed on the screen.
“It’s just like Leviathan…”
Everyone had seen it: the moment the girl activated her magic circle, her mana ran rampant like a wild beast.
Though the mana obeyed the girl’s command and struck the great mage, it was like a beast pack—it only followed orders from Elena, the “queen,” but could not change its rampage.
Just like the relationship between Leviathan and the Monster Tide…
“Your Eminence, can we have Christina bring this girl to the Holy Temple?”
“Bring her to the Holy Temple? Use the Appraisal Device on her? At first glance, it’s a good idea, but what if the appraisal result is the exact opposite?”
“Then we’ll deal with the heretic in the name of the Holy Church! Didn’t the Holy Church station the largest number of Senior Saints in the Empire just to handle things like this?”
“Are you blind?! Haven’t you understood after seeing this?! If it really comes to a fight, this girl alone can destroy everything!! You’re just bringing fire upon—”
“Silence!”
The archbishop, who had been silent, gave an order, and the nearly boiling meeting hall fell silent again.
“Under the witness of the White God, how improper is such uproar?”
The archbishop’s tone was calm, as if he did not care about what he had just witnessed.
Years ago, the Imperial Royal Family had demanded that the Holy Church’s central branch stationed in the Imperial Capital restrict applications to use the Appraisal Device on Elena White.
But Madam Serina’s devout attitude had still moved three bishops.
However, even if Serina could reach the Imperial Capital, even if she could submit the Signature Book…
As long as the Imperial Royal Family kept an eye on it, it would most likely amount to nothing.
“For the sake of the relationship between the Holy Church and the Imperial Royal Family, we once chose to turn a blind eye to that girl’s suffering. If this is the White God’s trial for us, then so be it.”
The archbishop did not know exactly what the Imperial Royal Family was planning.
But—
Since they wanted to drag the Holy Church into the water, the Holy Church had its own plans.
“Contact Christina.”
The archbishop narrowed his eyes in the shadow of the White God statue.
…
The silver-haired girl curled up on the sofa, her face pale. At the slightest movement of the black dot not far away, she darted around on the sofa like a frightened cat.
—That was the scene Elena saw when she nearly tore open the private box in the stands.
“Fairy Miss, it’s just a—”
“Eek!! D-Don’t come closer, ahhh QAQ!!!”
Tina beside her wanted to say something, but the black dot near the silver-haired girl moved, interrupting her.
There were no signs of a fight, nor anything that looked unusual.
All Elena saw was Ai’er, panicked beyond measure, and Saint Christina, looking helpless and unsure how to comfort her.
And of course, that black dot.
But it was just a small bug.
A bug one could see anywhere, one that didn’t even look harmful.
“Ai-Ai’er?”
“Elena QAQ!!”
Seeing the teary-eyed silver-haired girl, Elena was momentarily stunned.
The next moment, Ai’er jumped off the sofa and lunged into Elena’s arms—
“T-There’s a cockroach, eeeeeek QAQ!!!”