Part 1 –

The crimson-armoured man twisted his face. A sudden warmth in his arm had taken him by surprise. Amid the chatters of his fellow men and the beating thuds of his horse’s gallop, the strange orb suddenly shone.

The commander of the band of mercenaries and hired adventurers raised a brow, although he quickly came to disregard it as the smoky mountains drew near. Nothing was more important than money for this man, likewise for the men he led.

It would take a special someone to take lead of a hundred gold-scouring men without crumbing to their detestable nature.

This man didn’t fear the risk of betrayal, for he would betray them first.

He was a famous mercenary, known for getting any job done no matter how many lives he’d have to take.  As brutal or morally deprived as he was, none could argue against his strength or his near perfect track record in the Guilds across Di-Lock.

It likely the reason why he was called to carry out his mission to bring the orb to the mountains and take back anyone they could find.

“One hundred men just for a small trek to the mountains? Only a rich fool could make such a stupid request!” He hoarsely laughed.

It wasn’t that the thought of this mission being potentially dangerous hadn’t cross his mind. He figured that the man who had given him the request in Palvel believed in the stupid tale about the Demon who annihilated the Dwarven city of the mountains.

The legend wasn’t anything more than a story told to misbehaved children. In his mind, there wasn’t a possibility that a Demon would ever reach as far as Colight without stirring a storm of chaos in its path.

Let alone still be alive after a thousand years.

The mere thought of it made him crudely laugh as his heavily armoured aide hurriedly rode to his side.

“Sir, there’s smoke coming from the valley!”

“Do you think a mere fire will stop us? We’ll have our men deal with it easily with magic.” He carefully squinted at the mountain peaks and saw small wisps of the black haze. “It’ll mean we’ll have company there.”

He hungrily lapped his cracked lips like a stray dog.

“Money and woman. Name me a more fitting spoil!”

His aide couldn’t answer immediately, but after some thought, he replied.

“Fame and good alcohol.”

“A perfect one indeed! Just a fucking shame that Palvel can’t get any good breweries running! All this gold will take us out from that shithole to a more fitting place for honest people like us.”

He wore a shamelessly proud smile.

They would reach the mountains in less than an hour with their steady pace. With each passing second that elapsed only brought the taste of gold closer to reality.

The chatters and bickering within the band revolved around what they’d do with the gold, and any adventurer they came across. Their client never mentioned that they had to bring anyone without harm.

They could do whatever they pleased.

As the crimson-armoured leader pondered on the devious thoughts –

The air froze.

“Kneel.”

Suddenly, half of the army of one hundred quickly fell to their knees and hands in submission. Their metallic clanks, thuds and cries brought the horses to yell an ear-splitting screech.

The leader and his aide were unaffected but were baffled by the strange voice as they hastily turned to the racket behind.

“What are you fools doing on the ground!? Get back on your feet –!”

“I can’t move!”

“Help me up!”

“Stop standin’ ‘round an’ help me!”

“Healing magic! Please heal me! My arm- my arm!”

A plague of terror spread across the men as the leader stared in utter disbelief. No words could even begin to describe what was occurred before him. In the midst of the chaos, he saw many grovelling men on their knees as if in the presence of a God.

An array of bizarre scenes unfolded before his eyes. Anyone who was helped up would suddenly throw themselves back down with ruthless effort while screaming out for help. Other weren’t so lucky and found bladed weaponry embedded deeply within them.

Their bodies didn’t move an inch, no matter how much blood gushed from their mortal wounds. It was as if prostrating themselves was as important as life itself.

But their wails of agony and fear said otherwise.

The leader instinctively distanced himself from the men, galloping a good twenty meters away in case it was some sort of disease or large-scale magic that had caught them by surprise. His aide followed, along with many other men who beared their arms and watched the few remaining try to tend to the wounds of their comrades.

“Sterning, what kind of magic is that!? Or is it some sort of disease we haven’t heard of!?”

His aide, Sterning, furrowed his curly brows.

“It can’t be either! There’s no caster around here to speak of –!” The man flicked his head around to confirm this was the case. “– And there’s no diseases we know of that acts this quickly sir!”

“You idiot! If that wasn’t either, then what else could it possibly be!? Useless!” He spat in return and looked down at his remaining men. “Anyone else have any ideas!?”

The answer he received was an incomprehensible blabber from his men, further irritating him as he drew his crimson blade from its sheath. With it held high above his head, she swooped down and cleaved the head of an ill-armoured adventure.

The head rolled beneath the hooves of his horse, where it was effortlessly crushed.

Silence returned at once, for they were reminded of the man’s indomitable presence.

“If anyone else wants to blabber all day long like him, then come forth and present me your head. I’m sure your families will welcome me and your headless bodies with open legs!”

His crude words stung them like salt in an open wound. Displeasured muttering quietly spread amongst them as they stared back at their fallen comrades with uncertainty.

No matter how much they screamed for help – they were left there in fear that they’ll become inflicted with the unknown anomaly.

The man slowly composed himself as he slid the blood-stained longsword back into its heavy scabbard by his waist. His eyes pierced those who remained prostrated as he recalled the strange voice from earlier.

It was a child-like voice that was nothing more than a sound from the back of his mind. Carefully, he examined his men and his aide for any mages who could’ve been the perpetrator.

After all, the empty plains held no life other than themselves. The natural conclusion he could make was that someone here had betrayed them with some sort of unknown magic.

“Round up all of the mages! Let me scrutinise every last one of you! Refuse and you’ll join him in death! Come on! Hurry it up!”

“All magic users come and stand before your leader!” Sterning dragged his scimitar from its case and brandished it in the light of the sun.

The cloaked mages grumbled hesitantly. No matter what they said, there was no use going against the renowned mercenary who had unmatched strength in the city of Palvel and the neighbouring towns. As they reluctantly shuffled towards them – a sudden [Fireball] was fired at the leader’s figure.

“You bastard!” He yelled and was quick to throw a pre-chanted paper from a slit beneath his armoured wrists.

A translucent [Hybrid Barrier] was erected before the [Fireball] could even come close to reaching him. Some suffered from minor burns as a collateral before it disintegrated into nothingness when it hit the [Barrier].

His furious eyes fell onto a man clad in black who was already impaled with a sword through his chest. The pitiful mage held out his tremoring hands to the leader who watched with a bitter grimace.

“I… I did nothing – my- my body moved on its own –! “

“Shut it!” Someone yelled and smashed his face with a spike-tipped mace, instantly killing him.

His shattered teeth, gouged eyes and what remained of his jaw brought great joy to the leader who believed that the perpetrator had been killed. As his body slid from the sword and fell with a heavy thud, the man turned to the other half of his army.

He expected them to be free from the strange magic.

However, they continued to unwillingly grovel on the ground. Not even a shred of their resistance had improved. In fact, it seemed like they were unable to resist any longer while some had already expired to their untreated wounds.

But there was one thing that caused his blood to run like ice.

It was the sight of flattened bodies.

It was as if an invisible boulder had crushed them entirely. Their near unrecognisable bodies were no different to compost, and those enduring the torturous process screamed till their voices became hoarse.

The grass was dyed in the darkest of crimsons and drowned in their horrendous pools of blood and squashed innards.

It made no sense to him. As a mercenary who had travelled across the Major Plains of Colight, the region of Endo and even the Dwarven mountains of Plunnderdell in the north – not once had he seen such an overpowering magic.

There was no magic circle beneath them, or somewhere in the clouded sky.

All he could do was stare and listen to his men loudly chant their [Barrier]s in anticipation of another attack.

His aide continued to send out orders to the mages who had formed a line before them. This would act as their front-lines while the others remained at the back for now.

“What kind of magic can possibly do such a thing? That isn’t magic a human could ever wield!” He shouted and turned to the line of mages. “So which of you lot here aren’t a human!? Answer me before I’ll fucking slaughter you all like sheep!”

Terror filled the eyes of the mages as they desperately removed their hoods and other pieces of equipment to prove that they were indeed human.

None showed any signs of typical abnormalities, like the pointy ears of an Elf or the animal-like characteristics of a Demi-human. They were all pure humans through and through.

This brought upon a surge of frustration to sweep over him as his brows tightly knitted.

The reason being was that because they were humans, it would be impossible for them to cast such a bizarre magic. As a race, the basis of human magic was closely related to two things – the elements and their bodies.

It was why they were proficient in utilising elemental magic like [Fireball]s and [Body Strengthening] magic. Anything out of this was abnormal for a normal human.

Of course, he considered the possibility that there was a powerful mage amongst his men. However, none could compare to his aide – Sterning – in terms of magical prowess.

He was a famous warrior-mage who could proficiently use magic of the [Fourth Tier], and even held a trump card that rivalled [Sixth Tier] spells. In Di-Lock where the average mage could only use [Third Tier] magic, never mind [Fourth Tier] – he was considered as one of the most powerful humans in the vassal kingdom.

So it came off as strange that even he didn’t know anything about the magic that had forced half of them into absolute submission.

As he tried to wrap his mind around it –

“Huh. So there’s more of you still standing.”

A sudden voice of disdain emerged from the direction of the grovelling men.

His blood ran colder than ice. The tantalising voice of a woman was heard, yet there was no one in sight. His instincts fired all sorts of dangerous alarms, but his pride would not allow him to give in even in the face of an unknown enemy.

He vowed to see this through in order to attain his promised spoils.

“Who goes there!? Show yourself you coward!” He roared and drew his longsword.

Likewise, the men behind him readied themselves for a confrontation.

Between the empty patches of grass, the silhouette of what could only be described as a mother and child materialised before their eyes.

“Leave these ones to me little Phase.”

A naked woman with the skin of dusk emerged alongside a child who immediately began to search through a downed man. In his mixed cries of help and fear, the child simply stabbed the side of his throat with a ghastly dagger before she nonchalantly moved on to the next person.

Riddled with nothing but terror, he screamed for help.

However –

“Silence.”

Her [Statement] was directed to the pleading men around her. In an instant, they obeyed as only their trembling eyes could convey the painful words that could no longer leave their tongues.

“Kill them! – KILL THEM! Mages, attack! Everyone, attack! It’s only a mother and child! What could they possible do to defend against fifty of us!?” He commanded and swung his sword in their direction.

There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in their rage-fuelled charge. Magic circles were immediately erected before a hail of countless spells were flung at them alongside the many charging men.

But Uru and Phase ignored them entirely. Phase was far too busy trying to find what had taken her mother’s soul, while Uru bathed in the uncontained lust that the men felt for her.

The leader chuckled beneath his breath as he watched many [Fireball]s and [Ice Spears] make contact with the both of them. He thought that it was a shame that they had to kill them in such a manner, but they proved to be dangerous opponents so there was no other choice.

Even so, he imagined the prospects of selling the little girl for a premium and taking the voluptuous woman for his own.

But his fantasies were short lived.

His heart dropped at the sight of the unfazed figures. The mages ceased their magic in shock as a plague of confusion surged from their lines.

“Impossible!” Sterning cried.

Even with a [Barrier], a barrage of this kind would destroy it in mere seconds. But they didn’t have anything of the sort, let alone gear to defend against it.

It was nothing short of impossible.

Then, as the first man made it within range of Uru –

It suddenly made sense.

In the blink of an eye, the man’s body froze mid swing. After what felt like an eternity, multiple lines of red across the length of his body and face before he peeled open and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

His carcass resembled that of a bloodied rose.

This woman was not human.

Uru brandished her claws with a devilish smile. Those who charged at her came to an abrupt stop. They didn’t even see the woman swipe her claws at him, yet he was instantly sliced. Even the thick bones did little to hinder the speed and power of the attack.

The illusive haze of heat that surround her clawed hand only served to testify her power.

“What a pitiful existence. Even in his last moments he couldn’t keep his eyes off my chest. Although I can’t blame him for it.” Uru’s scornful voice held some sort of underlaying power that complimented her graceful appearance. “Aren’t you glad that I refrained from using this against you, little Phase?”

“Nothing would’ve changed. Just kill them already Zeluru. We can’t afford to waste this much time.”

Phase finished off yet another fallen man with a gruesome cut across the back of his neck.

Despite her words, she never saw what Uru did, so she just said whatever came to mind. She couldn’t care less for any of the humans, no matter how hard they had tried to kill her.

At a mere glance of their mana capacities, she was already certain of the outcome. She ignored them as if they weren’t even there.

Such weak beings could never begin to dream of touching a Spirit like herself.

“Nothing, you say. Hm… Perhaps you’re right.” Uru was mused for a moment.

She imagined that even with the speed and power of her claws, nothing could change the fact that only one hand could extend its claws. Against Phase – who utilised an assortment of weaponry – she was already at a disadvantage. Plus, there was the heat her claws would emit upon moving at such a speed.

The heat itself wasn’t an issue – it was the illusive haze that’d obscure her vision. It wasn’t something she often used in real battles, but here, she didn’t find a reason why not to use it.

After all, there was nothing that they could do to harm her. Even if they managed to land a strike on her with a weapon, she couldn’t imagine it shearing a hair from her body. It would take a Hero or some other powerful human to injure her.

The small talk between the two women only angered the leader. To be utterly ignored, even in the face of a magical bombardment – which should have been impossible – was nothing but an insult to his pride.

His body knew better than to even think of challenging the women before him, yet he could not let this go.

“You two will pay for treading in our path! I suggest you offer yourselves to us if you want to live!”

His words were utter nonsense. While his sentiments were shared between him and his men, very few regarded him as insane. But if they said anything they’d die, and if they ran then they’d be killed.

And if they stayed – they would undoubtably be slaughtered.

Uru didn’t turn to face him at all. It was as if his words were the mere buzzing of an insect.

“Are you listening to us –!? Ah – ahaha! I get it now. You’re so afraid that not even words can leave your –!”

“Which one of you captured her soul?”

Uru’s interjection was so natural that it caused Phase to silently giggle as she methodically murdered her newest victim. What should’ve been pure steel was easily penetrated as if it was nothing more than damp paper.

“What the fuck are you talking about!? And how dare you interrupt me –!”

“I asked you a question, and you will answer.”

“I have nothing to answer to you! Mages! Prepare your magic and kill this whore! Everyone ahead just charge at her all at once!”

He wildly swung his sword, clearly irritated. His pride would not allow him to sustain any more shame. The woman could only repay for her insolence with her death.

And he would not be satisfied if it wasn’t with his bare hands.

As the line of mages prepared their magic, he galloped forth with his longsword drawn. Blinded by pride, he failed to recognise Uru’s swelling annoyance.

Even if they were mere humans, she had already vowed to not hold herself back. Never mind that they were also the ones who had taken her friend’s soul. Her only basis regarding this rested on Phase’s claim.

The few who even dared to charge at her were cut down with zero resistance. It was as if they willingly gave themselves up to her, but that was far from the truth.

They were simply too weak.

Their bodies laid limp and scattered beneath her as they piled on with each approaching man. Every arrow was effortlessly slashed from the air, and likewise, ever man was cut from their life.

Only now – after ten of his men fell – did he realise that this woman would easily kill him in face-to-face combat. The horse froze before he did as he remained stranded in the middle of the battlefield.

His jaw trembled as the words that wanted to leave his mouth disappeared into the depths of his throat. He could only hear the thrashing of his heart. Sterning’s call for him to move from their line of fire went unheard.

The mages withheld their magic in fear of hitting their leader.

Even though the man’s body knew that he couldn’t win, he was still convinced that they would pull through. The twisted belief awoken him from his trance as he forced the horse to return back to the group with haste.

“Sterning! Use your magic! Show them why you’re the strongest mercenary in Palvel!”

As requested – the man prepared his magic.

Uru was tempted to cut this short, but she allowed it to continue. If it was an object they were looking for, then she didn’t want to destroy it. More than anything, she wanted to ask them about the stolen soul.

“I’ll ask again – where did you hide her soul?”

Her voice went unnoticed by the men who stared at a golden magical circle that formed high above Sterning’s head. They were ecstatic to be able to witness such a powerful magic in person.

[Sixth Tier] magic was legendary at best, especially for a human. The ultimate limit for beings like themselves was [Seventh Tier] and as a result, Sterning was haled as one of the most powerful magic users in all of Di-Lock.

For him to be here must’ve been fate.

Uru recognised the strength of the magic and softly smiled.

“I see. So this is your trump card? I thought your pitiful leader would come to fight me himself. No matter – it all ends the same way.”

A deadly chill ran down the leader’s spine the moment his eyes fell onto her relaxed face. Alarm bells relentlessly fired across his body as every hair stood.

His instincts were screaming at him to flee.

“Y-you’re a fool! Give up now while you still have time –!”

“Shut up.” A nonchalant voice came from the child.

Phase couldn’t handle his constant yapping as she finished searching and killing the men.

“Zeluru, why haven’t you killed them already?”

She brought a finger to her lips and hummed.

“I want to bleed them of information. After we make an example of our power with this, no one will be able to refuse whatever we say.”

“You could’ve done that earlier then!”

“Not quite, little Phase.” Uru seductively licked her lips. “They’ll be more willing to talk after we break their only ray of hope in front of them. By showcasing our power this way – I doubt they’d even think of refusing to abide by whatever we demand. Remember, this is all because of your blunder.”

Phase grit her teeth. Her [Statement] had only affected half of them, and also included a strange side-effect that caused some to become crushed under the weight of her demands.

She imagined that it was because their ‘kneeling’ wasn’t anywhere near low enough for something as insignificant as themselves.

They watched the giant golden circle begin to rotate before a massive beam of light suddenly came their way. As cheers and joyous shouts came from the men who were certain of their defeat, Uru found it hard to not sigh.

She wasn’t one to invoke despair or torture others. But these people were different. They had meddled with something so important to her that she had to resort to inducing despair in order to sate her anger.

“This is the extent of [Sixth Tier] magic?”

The leader choked in a painful gulp.

“T-that’s impossible!”

“How’re they still speaking!?”

“This is [Sixth Tier] magic! How are they still there!?”

“It’s a lie – it’s a lie!”

The voices of utter disbelief came, and with it, was Uru’s voice once again to etch that this wasn’t some sort of hallucination.

“Has the world become so weak that it considers this magic of the [Sixth Tier]? Or perhaps all that time devouring mana from lust and desire had bolstered my mana reserves.”

The giant beam disappeared as the two figured remained there entirely unscathed. No matter how unbelievable it seemed, they could not afford to avert their eyes from reality.

Shock settled in before the mutters of terror spread. Even the leader was unable to project his foolish words, for he had finally accepted the difference in power between them.

“Now – let me show you what [Sixth Tier] magic truly looks like.”

From a giant purple magic circle high above, a lone [Seeker] jumped through and coiled the air around her. In an instant – it fled into the plains where it tore through the ground. It grandly exploded shortly after and left a devastating crater that oozed with a haze of scorching heat that could even be felt from the many meters away that they stood.

The remaining magical circle drew their eyes in both fascination and terror.

The markings that it held weren’t written in Ecloma, nor did any of the symbols represent anything remotely familiar. Its abstract nature only further induced fear as their jaws dropped.

It was as if a Demon had written those markings with their claws.

The [Seeker] was different from the many she normally used, for this one was unstable and could not pilot itself like the others. It held a greater potential for power but was nowhere near as mana-efficient as the fine-tuned homing [Seeker]s were.

She wondered whether maybe that their magic was actually powerful, but her outrageously-large mana reserve provided near immunity to anything weaker than [Seventh Tier] magic. It was the same for Phase, except she couldn’t care less about such a trivial thing.

Nothing mattered more than her mother.

A thick cloud flew cast an eerie shadow upon them.

None could utter a word. They were petrified by Uru’s power. Their instincts no longer told them to flee – it told them to stay here and die.

But Uru had other plans for them. At least for the next few minutes. She considered them dead the very moment she had the displeasure of laying her eyes upon them. Death was the only option, and even if there was another way, she’d adamantly insist to grant them death.

After all, Exrite specifically said to kill those who were an enemy or a posed a threat. They were far from the latter, but the former fit them well.

With those thoughts in mind, she broke the silence with a tantalising voice.

“I’ve decided to spare you, so in exchange, you’ll tell me everything you know.”

Her lie was wholeheartedly devoured by the men who dared to believe the words of a Demon.

Amongst their broken pride and pitiful obedience, Uru smiled.

* * *

Part 2 –

Their broken bodies were left as fertiliser for the crimson field. Uru stood clear of their mushed bodies while Phase purposefully trampled on them as they inspected a strange orb.

“She’s in here! I can see mom in here!” Phase cried, cupping the warm orb with dear life as she mellowed in relief.

Uru’s tense face dropped upon hearing those words.

“– are you certain?”

“I wouldn’t mistake anything for my mom!” Phase assured.

The Demon folded her arms and hummed in delight.

While she earnestly believed Phase’s words, there was a lingering sense of uncertainty surrounding the orb. She knew that Phase didn’t have the gift of [Soul Sight], but she could apparently see her own mother’s soul.

She wanted someone with the proper ability to confirm that this was the case.

And only one person came to mind.

“Bizarre. Why would only her soul enter the orb?” Uru drilled her eyes into its unreflective surface with a perplexed face. “No one here could use [Soul] magic to store her soul in there, let alone knew that we would settle things on this day.”

Her words became harsher as they went on. Soon, her eyes were on the mused Spirit.

She sighed.

“They came here for the Maiden of Time, although they didn’t know that at all. But it’s strange as to why they’d bring an object like this with them.”

“They’re fools. Humans are nothing but greedy fools!” Phase snapped and stomped into a puddle of grinded meat. “They trapped mom in this tiny orb and wanted to sell her back to whoever sent them her!”

“You’re jumping to conclusions too quickly, Phase. No one would’ve known about us, let alone our fight. Stop your barking and stay put. We’ll return to the Capital and ask the Frostbitten exactly what this orb is.”

“H-how dare you –! How can you be so unconcerned –!?”

Uru suddenly shot a sharpened claw in between the eyes of the Spirit.

It was merely a hair’s length from tearing into her delicate flesh.

“Unconcerned? Don’t forget that it was I who freed your mother from your selfish grasp! You can bark all you like, Spirit – but you belong to me now. I won’t let you die off until you atone for everything you’ve done to me. So – come with me to the Capital. You wanted to see Exrite, correct?”

Her words were cold, filled with unparalleled edge. Uru was barely able to contain her pent rage as she drew her claws back and began walking forward.

Phase painfully grit her teeth and frowned.

“… Damnit…”

A mutter of frustration left her lips as she trotted behind. The splashes of her bare feet in the pools of flesh became the ambience of the silent plains.

Phase couldn’t refute anything Uru had said because it was all true. It was an unpleasant serum of guilt and regret that ate at her. She betrayed her mother’s only friend and was also the origin of their continued suffering for over a thousand years.

No matter how much she hated having to obey Uru, she didn’t object. Her mother would’ve wanted this.

She was sure of it.

Like a lost lamb, she obediently followed the shepard away from the plains.

“Two weeks of waiting… they’ll punish me again, won’t they? I don’t want to go back there. Not in the dark.”

For the first time, Phase spoke with sincerity like the child she was.

* * *

The delightful scent of cinnamon filled the silent café. It was midday and after a long session of agonising training, Exrite brought himself here with an eager Khaos. It was the third time Khaos had visited the café, drawn by the delicious food and the sweet beverages they served her.

Whenever Bailey came past their table a flustered look would come across her face. Of course, only Khaos failed to notice this.

He wasn’t aware of the girl’s one-sided love for him.

Exrite pleasantly smiled with every sip he took of his steaming beverage. But the same couldn’t be said for Khaos who pushed the cinnamon coffee aside and asked Allen for a sweeter cup.

When he returned with the fresh batch, Khaos promptly gulped a mouthful down and approved.

“Ahh! You can’t go wrong with sweet stuff! Here, have a taste Exrite!”

“No thanks Khaos. That’s way too sweet for me.”

“Just a taste?”

“Sorry. I already have my own.”

“That’s a shame then. But c’mon, you’re missing out.”

Exrite quietly sighed and smiled to himself.

Allen sat across the wooden table with a strange look on his face. He had witnessed Khaos gulp down about half of the piping-hot coffee like it was nothing. He wanted to question him, but alas, he couldn’t find any real reason to do so.

He couldn’t be surprised anymore. Not when a Frostbitten – never mind a Maiden – sat just across him.

He wryly smiled.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you guys haven’t been found out yet.” Allen mumbled. “But I guess just being the ‘Companions of the Exrenity’ makes all your problems disappear.”

“… did something happen?” Exrite carefully asked.

“Nothing at all.” The blonde-haired man crossed his arms and sighed as he inspected the giant Khaos across him. “There’s just been a lot of trouble in the Institute and Calis’ mood has been rubbing on me. Man, I bloody hope tomorrow turns out fine… I need some coffee.”

“Hah! I think coffee’s the last thing you’ll want like that.” Khaos let out a hearty chuckle, causing Allen to sigh once more.

The Institute of Magic was a massive place, but even with its size it didn’t boast a grand number of teachers. The sheer number of students and adventurers were far too great and were about fifty-to-one teacher. Calis, who was an experienced magical trainer, could barely trudge through.

It wasn’t they were fooling around or not taking their lessons seriously – it was simply because there was too much to do in such a short amount of time. No human or creature are identical, especially when it came to magic.

Calis remained at home to rest, while his wife took over the counter.

Speaking of her –

Mela couldn’t stop ogling at Khaos. She was surely imagining lovely fantasies of the man and her daughter. Every so often, she’d disappear behind the curtains and embarrass the working Bailey with them.

Exrite held back a laugh as she disappeared again.

“Don’t worry Allen. Tomorrow will be fine.” Without any grounds, Exrite sounded certain of the fact.

Allen had the impression that if something went wrong, Exrite would promptly amend it for the sake of the party. It was a plan which had been two weeks in the making. There wasn’t a chance that Exrite would let it derail at the very last second.

“I sure hope so… and you’re even bringing the priestesses along. Geez, no pressure I guess.”

“Don’t worry about it. If they said they liked my cooking, then they’ll definitely love yours.”

For some reason, Allen eyes broadened in surprise upon hearing that.

“Excuse me? You cook?”

“ – ish.” Exrite wobbled his hand as a gesture. “Wait – why do you look so surprised?” He slightly raised his voice.

“No, I mean – how? Sorry, let me get this straight. You’re the Exrenity and the Maiden of Time. I thought it’d be the castle chefs who makes meals for everyone up there. So why are you cooking?”

It was weird for Exrite to be doing something like cooking especially when one considered his unbelievable status.

However – Exrite’s eyes gently sunk into his warm cup.

“Allen. Being the Exrenity and the Maiden of time shouldn’t justify that kind of treatment. I’m really just me – just Exrite. Just a man who likes cooking.”

His small smile towards the end mismatched the sombre tone of his voice.

He wanted to say that cooking was enjoyable. Relaxing… nostalgic. It was something he was never able to do as a child, let alone during his ten years of torture.

But for some reason, he found that it brought back memories that he had forgotten so long ago as a child. While he never remembered a single embrace from his mother – he remembered the scent of cinnamon at the long dinner table.

It reminded him of a time when he had a place to call ‘home’.

With a small sip from the cup of cinnamon coffee, Exrite continued.

“I mean, we need to learn how to cook for ourselves if we plan to travel far away.”

“Right, right. That makes more sense. It just felt weird hearing that the guy who fought Uru with a crossbow and spends every day training with the Guildmaster can make food to the priestesses’ liking. Anyway, I should head back into the kitchen. Mela’ll kill me if I stay here any longer.”

Exrite didn’t know how to react to that, so just wryly smiled at him.

Allen pushed himself from the table and cleared his thoat.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow then. Oh, and Khaos – how did you like the sandwich earlier?”

The giant man’s eyes suddenly twinkled as a profound grin came across his face.

“Amazing! I haven’t had anything like it before. If it doesn’t bother you, can I please have some more before we leave? I’ll pay you for it this time.”

As he went to reach for his coin pouch, Allen quickly stopped him.

“It’s fine. It was just a trial product that my niece wanted you to try.”

“Ah? From Bailey?” Khaos seemed surprised for a moment. “I didn’t think that girl could make something so tasty. Give her my thanks, Allen. I’m sure she’ll make a great wife someday.”

Exrite suddenly spat out his coffee over the side of the table as Allen’s cheek cramped.

“… yeah...”

Khaos was the last person he wanted to hear that from.

Amid Exrite’s trembling attempt to contain his laughter, a silent figure beamed from the counter.

It was Mela.

She had heard Khaos in full as his voice repeatedly echoed in her mind. Her legs were barely able to keep herself upright as she leaned against the counter for support. The imagined prospects of her dear daughter’s love coming to fruition brought her to smile and fidget uncontrollably.

Bailey needed to know about the minor success of operation ‘conquer his stomach’.

After all, the surest way to get to someone’s heart was through winning over their stomach.