Chapter 21: Duke, Your Daughter is Aweso
The Mages summoned from the Royal Capital gathered at the mid-slope of the volcano, encircling it completely.
The Mages raised their arms, their flowing magic linking together, gradually forming an enormous Magic Formation that wrapped around the entire volcano.
Brilliant light stread across a hundred li in all directions.
Many of the magical steel spikes driven into the volcano were affected by the Formation; the magic chains attached to them began clanging and rattling restlessly, boring ever deeper into the mountain.
Runes were carved into the Formation, and the great Magic Formation grew denser and heavier, spreading outward for a hundred miles.
The 2nd-Tier Mages stood a level below the 3rd-Tier Mages, channeling a steady and unbroken flow of magic power into them.
When the first group of 2nd-Tier Mages could no longer continue, the second group stepped up to take their place.
Once the first group had rested and recovered, they returned to the Formation—one rotation after another.
More than a dozen 3rd-Tier Mages concentrated their focus and began chanting toward the center of the Formation:
"The God of the Abyss weeps! Gather the cold of all the world!"
"The God of Compassion pleads! Chant the sorrowful tears of the underworld!"
***
Although Erika was the Duke's daughter, she received no special treatnt whatsoever.
She was assigned to the sa rank as the other 2nd-Tier Mages.
After the Knights had evacuated the civilians, they stood guard nearby to ensure that the Mages were not disturbed.
Magic attracted monsters, so the Knights positioned themselves around the Mages and cut down every creature that drew near.
"The longer a Magic Formation of this scale—one that covers the entirety of Mount Vesuvius—is maintained, the more powerful its effect becos."
Duke Livi, a 3rd-Tier Mage himself, poured every ounce of his strength into adjusting the Formation. His only hope was to delay the eruption of the volcano for as long as possible.
If the great Formation were given a full day to be refined, it would absolutely be capable of suppressing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius entirely.
This continued for an hour. The first group of 2nd-Tier Mages descended the mountain, and another group took their place.
Erika was among this new group. She took her position behind Duke Livi and began chanting softly, channeling her magic power into her father.
Duke Livi, while chanting incantations and tracing the Formation, kept a watchful eye on Erika's every movent.
Seeing that Erika could hold her own independently, he felt a quiet warmth in his heart.
"Erika, you've grown up."
The second rotation of Mages descended, and the third group was set to co up—yet Erika did not go down.
She quietly drank a bottle of the blue potion she had purchased from Leah, and instantly felt her ntal Energy replenish completely.
Duke Livi noticed that Erika was still standing there, still going, and was taken aback—but also deeply pleased.
"I never imagined Erika would have such an extraordinary reserve of ntal Energy."
"When I was her age, I was nowhere close to this."
Another hour passed. After the third group descended, the fourth group had already co up.
Erika was still standing at the Formation, continuing to channel magic power into Duke Livi.
She quietly drank another bottle of the potion, and her ntal Energy was once again fully restored.
If Duke Livi had only been surprised before, now he was utterly stunned.
"Erika's talent is this terrifying!?"
"This astonishing ntal Energy has already surpassed that of many 3rd-Tier Mages."
And he, her own father, had only learned of his daughter's strength now!
Before long, the fourth group of Mages had also exhausted their magic power and descended one by one to rest.
Erika quietly drank another bottle, and continued channeling.
All of the 3rd-Tier Mages surrounding Duke Livi had taken notice of Erika by this point.
It had already been 4 hours—where on earth was all that magic power coming from?
Could it be that, within the heart of this young genius, there was an ocean called magic waiting to be drawn from?
Unable to contain themselves, the Mages turned to the Duke and asked:
"Duke Livi, is your daughter so kind of monster? How can she have such a terrifying reserve of ntal Energy?"
"Exactly—I've never seen any ox capable of plowing a field for this long without stopping."
Duke Livi began to worry. He feared his daughter was pushing herself beyond her limits, inflicting irreversible damage on her body through sheer overexertion.
But when he looked over and saw that Erika still appeared perfectly at ease, he swallowed the words he had been about to say.
Just what was going on?
He couldn't figure it out.
Then, 5 hours in, even the first batch of the second rotation had descended the mountain to rest again. The 2nd-Tier Mages who should have been in the sa group as Erika climbed back up to the summit once more.
And there they found the Duke's daughter.
She was still standing at the Formation below Duke Livi, radiating the brilliance of magic from her entire body—like a breathtaking beacon of light.
???
Do you not need to rest?
And indeed—every ti a group of Mages descended, Erika would secretly drink a bottle of potion to keep her magic power at a level that felt comfortably manageable.
Erika felt their gazes of shock and astonishnt, and swelled with pride at her own performance.
Thanks to the potions Professor Viktor made, I can keep this up!
Father is definitely going to see in a whole new light!
She was still floating on that thought when Duke Livi's roar struck her like a hamr and jolted her wide awake.
"Erika! Get down and rest!!!"
Erika: "......"
It was the first ti she had ever seen her father this furious with her. For a mont, she was genuinely frightened—she shrank back, lowered her head, and quietly descended.
But her reputation had already spread through the entire ranks of the 2nd-Tier Mages.
"Can you believe it? That girl is an absolute freak! She still hadn't left when I went down for the first ti, and when I ca back for my second rotation, she was still up there!"
"You an Duke Livi's daughter? I saw it too—her ntal Energy has to be on par with a 3rd-Tier Mage by now..."
"Even Viktor would have a hard ti matching her."
Erika's hearing was sharp, and catching those whispered complints filled her with a quiet pride.
Soone had even compared her to Viktor—when she heard that, she couldn't help but feel a flutter of elation in her chest.
But Erika also knew perfectly well: without those potions, she never could have held on for anywhere near that long.
And those extraordinary potions were crafted by Viktor's own hands.....
With that thought in mind, every kind word of praise she had just heard suddenly felt unbearably hollow.
She truly couldn't asure up to Professor Viktor.
Most likely, no matter how many years she lived, she would never even catch a glimpse of his shadow from behind.
"ROAARRR!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted once more from the crater of Mount Vesuvius. Rolling boulders began to crumble and collapse, and ash surged into the air, raining down upon the earth below.
The black clouds hanging above the volcano seed to crack apart as though shattered—jagged fissures split through them, their edges scorched a blazing red.
The mountain began to tremble, and magma stirred restlessly deep within the volcano's core.
"Look! What is that!?"
A Knight pointed toward the sky, where droplets of scorching liquid were raining steadily down.
Countless fiery droplets struck the area near the crater, and every rock they touched exploded apart like a bomb.
Every Mage and Knight snapped into high alert. The Mages imdiately began etching ergency Magic Formations to counter the threat, while the Knights started imbuing their armor and silver blades with effects using magic tools.
Could it be—was the volcano about to erupt right now?
Suddenly, a voice echoed through Erika's mind:
It hurts, it hurts so much.....
"That voice again! What is happening?"
She could hear clearly that the voice was coming from the summit of the volcano. She desperately wanted to go up and see for herself.
And besides, perhaps.....Professor Viktor was up there!
Erika recalled the words those Mages had used to slander Professor Viktor.
She had no desire to cast Viktor as the one behind the volcanic eruption.
But given the current situation, anyone would co to the sa suspicion.
Viktor, who had vanished without a trace. The volcano, which was on the verge of erupting.
"I can't just stand here! I have to find a way to get up to the crater and see for myself."
Thinking this, Erika's eyes landed on the Knight Company standing guard near the Formation.
She was the only woman in the entire Knight Company.
She was beautiful—the 2nd most beautiful woman Erika had ever seen besides her own mother.
The first was the older sister at the Clavena shop.
Completely different in presence from that sister, this woman was like a Knight who had stepped out from within a block of ice—her bearing cold and remote. Simply standing there, she radiated an aura that kept people at a distance.
Do not approach.
Erika had heard of her. This Knight was the current Commander of the Royal Knight Company—Gwen.
She intended to approach this older sister and request that she be let through.
"If I just ask her directly to let up to the crater, there's no way she'd agree."
Erika paced in place, turning the problem over in her mind. Then, all at once, an idea shot into her head.
She put on a look of urgency and rushed up to Gwen.
As she had hoped, her behavior imdiately caught the other's attention.
"Um, Knight Sis, I need to use the bathroom—could you let step away from here for a mont?"
"No."
Gwen answered without a mont's hesitation.
"My duty is to ensure the safety of everyone here. Please bear with it, Miss Erika."
"Ugh.....what a cold and rigid Knight—you just blindly follow orders."
Erika muttered under her breath and trudged back, puffing with irritation.
But the anxiety inside her only grew.
The voice from the summit, Viktor's disappearance—it all seed to be telling her sothing.
She had to leave this place. She had to get to the summit!
At that mont, Duke Livi suddenly appeared beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Eep!"
Erika startled with a full-body flinch, like a small rabbit that had been frightened.
Duke Livi said in a grave tone:
"My dear, give an explanation."
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