“Is it true?” Arkemis, who had rushed up late and only now grasped the situation, had a twisted look on her face. “So all he did was expand his presence?” “Yes. As ridiculous as it sounds,” Karin replied. The two of them, Arkemis and Karin, were talking about Ketal. He wasn’t there. Karin had told him to take a break. Ketal said he didn’t need to, but Karin was so firm that he couldn’t refuse. “This is just....” Arkemis was at a loss for words. She had felt the effects of Ketal’s presence herself, since she’d been staying in the sacred ground. The moment his aura had expanded, her breath had stopped. She’d frozen like a mouse before a cat, unable even to blink, her whole body trembling. Even someone as strong as her, a Transcendent High Elf, could barely withstand it. At first, just like Karin, she’d mistaken it for the descent of the Spirit God. The overwhelming force that had pressed down on the entire elven sanctuary was, astonishingly, nothing more than the result of one barbarian expanding his presence. “Is he really human?” Arkemis muttered. Even Arkemis, who knew Ketal well, couldn’t help but doubt it. He was far beyond what she had imagined. Karin gave a wry smile. “I don’t think so, but he’s so adamant about being human that I really can’t contradict him.” “I just don’t get it. At that level, isn’t he even stronger than you, Your Majesty?” At that, Karin hesitated. No, I’m stronger, Karin thought. However, she couldn’t bring herself to say so. She hadn’t been completely certain even before, but after seeing Ketal’s display, her confidence had been shaken even more. “It’s hard to tell, but I don’t think I will lose to him...” She couldn’t deny it—Ketal’s Karma far exceeded that of the High Elf Queen. That was a fact she could not ignore. However, just because his Karma was high did not mean his strength matched it. The legendary emperor had only ever been a frail human, after all. “He doesn’t possess the power his Karma deserves,” Karin said. Of course, he was not weak. Someone who could suppress the entire sacred ground with sheer presence alone couldn’t possibly be weak. However, Ketal’s strength seemed to be nothing more than wildly swinging around the weight of his Karma. He didn’t possess strength appropriate to it. On the other hand, Karin was a Hero. She could interfere with the laws and order of the world itself. That was something Ketal could not do. “I won’t lose. ...Probably,” Karin muttered, but her voice was feeble. Arkemis was shocked by Karin’s lack of confidence. It was the first time she’d seen the queen so unsure of herself. She gulped and asked her, “So, what if Ketal were to acquire Myst and learn to wield it?” If he ever broke free from the limitations of the flesh and came to wield the world’s great mysteries—if he ever gained power that truly matched his rank—then the consequences would be unimaginable. “It would be a disaster,” Karin replied. “Yeah, I think so too.” Did I create a monster? Arkemis gulped again. It was she who had helped Ketal toward understanding Myst. The thought that she might have created an uncontrollable monster sent chills down her spine. Still, that did not change her attitude toward Ketal. They had known each other too long for her to be afraid now. All she could do was respect the true scale of his strength. Thanks to Karin’s measured explanation to the sacred ground elves, there was no chaos. Karin gave Ketal a warning. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t expand your presence like that again. It frightens the elves.” “Sorry about that. I was just curious to see if I could do it.” Ketal had done it just because he could. Karin shook her head. After that, Ketal kept practicing, containing his presence as much as possible. Because he devoted every waking hour to it, his progress was very fast. Three days passed, and finally, Ketal’s presence had diminished considerably. Now, even if he wandered around the sacred ground, the elves would just keep a little distance rather than fleeing outright. That change made Ketal all the more enthusiastic, and he threw himself into training with even greater energy. That was when it happened. A horn sounded, as beautiful as a song but carrying an undercurrent of tension. Karin and Arkemis’s expressions changed. “They’re finally here. Those damn nuisances,” Arkemis said. “What’s going on?” Ketal asked them. “Enemies,” Karin replied. Her eyes were infinitely calm—very different from the ones she’d shown Ketal and Arkemis. “The dark mages have begun their assault. I thought they’d finally gone away, but it looks like they were just preparing.” “I’ll take care of this quickly. Please wait here.” Karin started to head out, but Ketal stopped her. “Can I come with you?” Ketal asked her. “Hm? I don’t mind...” “Then I’ll come. You might need my help.” Ketal followed Karin with a broad grin. He was about to see, for the first time, the true might of a Hero elf. His face was full of anticipation. When they emerged outside the sacred ground, the elves were already standing guard. When they saw Karin, their faces brightened. They froze for a moment when they saw Ketal, but unlike before, they didn’t seem especially wary. His presence had faded enough that he no longer terrified them. Ketal noticed the difference in their reactions and smiled with satisfaction. However, one elf looked as if he’d seen a ghost the moment he spotted Ketal. “Eek!” “Hm? Oh! Parco! Still the same as ever!” Ketal greeted him. It was Parco, the High Elf knight who had come to fetch Arkemis from the Denian Kingdom. Ketal approached him with a delighted face. Parco’s face turned deathly pale. “Do you know each other?” Karin asked him. “We met when he came to fetch Arkemis. Had a little spar,” Ketal replied. “A little spar, you say.” It didn’t look so little to me, Parco thought. His face looked like he’d met a grim reaper. Ketal grinned. “I heard you did me a favor. Thank you. If you ever need a favor from me, just ask. I’ll do whatever I can.” If he could have, Parco would have begged Ketal to pretend not to know him. However, he was too scared to even say that out loud. Karin, watching this strange exchange, snapped back to the situation at hand. “What’s happening?” “The dark mages have begun their assault,” Parco replied, snapping back to reality. Monsters were charging through the forest. “There’s a lot,” Ketal muttered. Tall trees fell, shattered and knocked aside by the giant bodies of monsters. It looked as though the entire forest was being cleared. There had to be at least a hundred of them. However, it wasn’t just the numbers. Among the charging monsters, Ketal saw some he recognized—uniquely powerful beasts, like those he’d seen at the holy land of Kalosia. Many of the monsters were Advanced. Several dark mages rode on their backs, leading the charge. Some of those dark mages were clearly Transcendents. This was at least twice as powerful as the all-out assault at Kalosia’s holy land. However, that wasn’t the end of it. “They’ve started a fire attack, too,” Karin muttered. The forest was ablaze. Even at a glance, it wasn’t normal fire. The flames spread with unnatural speed, devouring the vegetation and swelling in size. At that rate, it wouldn’t take long to consume the entire forest. The flames advanced along with the monsters. It was a nasty tactic. If they didn’t deal with the fire quickly, it would become uncontrollable, but if they focused on the flames, the monsters and dark mages would attack them. It was clear the enemy intended to burn the forest to the ground, even if it meant their own annihilation. “Elves!” At the front of the enemy ranks, a Transcendent dark mage shouted, his face twisted with madness. “Your forest will burn to ashes!” His expression radiated a death-defying resolve. They had no intention of retreating. They’d have to be destroyed to the last. With so many strong enemies, this battle wasn’t going to be easy. The elves would have no choice but to drag out the fight, and the longer it went, the more likely the forest would burn. They had to stop both the monsters and the fire at once. The odds were stacked against them. However, Karin just smiled. “Hahaha! Hahahahaha!” Her laughter was filled with mockery, echoing through the forest as if the dark mage’s threat was nothing but a joke. “How bold of you. Rats of evil. I’ll give you credit for breaking through our barrier, but do you really think you can invade our land with just this? Did you sell your brains to the demons along with your souls?” Her voice was icy. Ketal whistled quietly to himself. Both Arkemis and Karin had their fiery sides. High elves are definitely spirited, he thought. “So, you want to burn down our forest? You’re prepared to die for that? That’s quite admirable.” Karin even praised the dark mage’s determination. She raised her hand. “Then, what will you do about this?” As she spoke, a strange wind gathered behind her. Ketal’s expression changed. “Hmm?” Behind Karin, a massive wind was condensing, so powerful even Ketal could sense it. It did not take a visible form, but it was gathering into something substantial. A spirit? Ketal thought. Karin flicked her fingers, and a gentle breeze began to blow. Ketal’s eyes widened as he spread his senses across the entire forest. That was how he knew—every breath of air in the forest was now under Karin’s control. The winds, which had been scattered everywhere, suddenly stilled. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI~Fire.net “What?” The dark mages, charging forward with wild eyes, faltered. The fires that had spread to engulf the entire forest vanished without a trace—not even a spark remained. “The thing you so wanted—to burn our forest—has failed. So what now?” Karin mocked. “Uh, um...” One dark mage spun around in panic. Karin smiled. “Trying to run away?” She flicked her fingers again. This time, the wind surged, and the dark mages and monsters froze in place. They began to float slowly into the air. A dark mage glared and tried desperately to resist. “W-what is this?!” No matter how much demonic power they gathered or unleashed, nothing happened. Or rather, things did happen—their power erupted, but had no effect, as if the very environment itself had changed. The Transcendent dark mage could do nothing but flail like an infant. “You can’t run now. So, what are you going to do?” Karin asked. “No...” The dark mages couldn’t do anything but stay afloat. “There’s nothing you can do? Then die.” With another flick of her fingers and an icy command, the wind compressed. The monsters and dark mages were crushed, compressed by the wind into spheres. Karin flicked her hand dismissively. The crushed bodies scattered on the breeze, disappearing without a trace. Nothing remained but fallen trees and a few patches of ashes. If not for that, anyone would have thought nothing had happened at all. More than a hundred Advanced monsters, and the dark mages’ suicide assault, had been erased in just three finger snaps. The elves stared at Karin in disbelief. She smiled gently. “It’s over. Everyone can go back to what you were doing.” “Ah... yes.” They swallowed and nodded. The dark mages’ desperate assault had ended so easily. The elves were overwhelmed, praising the queen’s power and majesty. Ketal’s reaction was not much different. “Amazing! Absolutely amazing!” Ketal exclaimed. “Y-you think so?” Karin replied. “Of course! You’re unbelievably strong! Astounding!” He was truly impressed. What Karin had just shown was far beyond anything he had expected. Three finger snaps were all it had taken to resolve everything. That was something Ketal could never do. His power was strong, but limited to his own body. He could crush monsters and blow away the flames with force, but the forest would have been destroyed in the process. He could never have ended the battle so cleanly. Even the monsters and dark mages hadn’t been able to resist at all. The gap in power was overwhelming. So this is the power of the High Elf Queen, Ketal wondered. Karin was a Hero, said to be the world’s highest peak, and a contractor of the Spirit King. It was a power that left him in awe. Ketal repeatedly praised Karin’s feat, and she found the whole thing strangely awkward. Why is someone with greater Karma than me acting ? Karin wondered. Ketal’s Karma was far beyond hers, his achievements incomparable. For someone like him to be praising her felt deeply odd. “When you unleashed your power, I could sense a tremendous wind gathering behind you. Was that the Spirit King’s power?” Ketal asked her. “Yes. I have a contract with the Wind Spirit King.” “Oh, so that’s what it was. You were controlling all the wind in the forest with your hand. You must have put out the fire by cutting off its oxygen. And you bound the dark mages and monsters perfectly with the wind. It was like the power of nature itself.” “You... you saw right through it. Thank you.” Ketal’s eyes sparkled. “Could I have the chance to experience even a fraction of that power?” “No, that I can’t allow.” Karin’s refusal was blunt, and Ketal looked quite disappointed. His childlike reaction left Karin feeling at a loss. He really was hard to understand. Even after that, Ketal kept seeking opportunities to spar with Karin. However, every time, she sensed his intentions and deftly avoided him. As more time passed, Ketal succeeded in perfectly controlling his presence.