Chapter 22: We Are All Girls, You Must Understand
Duke Livi appeared behind Erika, his hand resting on her shoulder, his expression grave and unyielding.
Erika felt a jolt of unease seeing her father materialize behind her so suddenly.
She thought he had found out about her plan to slip away.
Her eyes darted to the side as she scrambled to think of a cover story—but then she heard Duke Livi ask:
"Explain yourself. How were you able to hold out at the Formation for that long just now?"
At that question, Erika let out a breath of relief.
The tension drained from her smile, replaced by sothing far more relaxed.
"Oh, so that's what this is about."
Erika circled around behind the Duke and said in a conspiratorial tone, "That's because I have a little treasure!"
"A treasure?"
Duke Livi was puzzled. What kind of treasure could produce such a staggering effect—boosting Erika's ntal Energy to that degree?
Erika told her father with unmistakable pride:
"It's sothing from Professor Viktor."
"What? Viktor's?"
Hearing that na, Duke Livi was genuinely thrown off.
He knew perfectly well that Viktor was a genius—soone who had beco a Professor at such a young age.
Viktor had already crafted items capable of enhancing ntal Energy?
No, wait—that wasn't the point!
The point was: why did Viktor's item end up in Erika's hands?
Viktor had given sothing like this to Erika? Was he trying to curry favor with her?
Duke Livi's temper flared instantly. A surge of fury shot straight up through his chest like a lit fuse.
"That damned Viktor—so you really are still after Erika!"
He could have wrung that bastard's neck right then and there!
Daring to set his sights on his precious daughter—he would make sure Viktor understood the price for that!
Then he caught himself. Sothing felt off. Hadn't Erika always despised Viktor?
So why did she look so proud when his na ca up just now!?
The more Duke Livi thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Viktor was luring his daughter in.
Erika saw the expression on Duke Livi's face and reached into her bag, producing a small blue potion.
"What is that?"
Duke Livi looked at the vial she held out and asked with curiosity.
A blue potion—he had never seen one before.
"This was purchased from Professor Viktor's item shop—only 1,000 Geo per bottle!"
Duke Livi: "......"
Misunderstanding cleared.
He had been imagining Viktor seducing Erika during their ti at the Academy.
But as things stood now, it was nothing like what he had pictured.
He stared at the little bottle in Erika's hand, and suddenly froze.
"Wait!"
"Erika, how much did you say this cost?"
Duke Livi was beginning to doubt his own hearing. 1,000 Geo—he must have misheard.
Erika puffed out her chest and repeated it proudly: "1,000 Geo!"
Duke Livi: "......"
When had he raised such a spendthrift daughter?
Well, never mind. She was his daughter. His own flesh and blood.
Duke Livi drew a long breath, suppressed the fire in his chest, and forced out a smile—the kind that didn't quite reach his eyes—and said to Erika:
"Daddy doesn't recall ever teaching you to throw money around like that."
Erika heard her father say this and imdiately shot back:
"I was not throwing money around!"
"Your ntal Energy is no longer sufficient to maintain the Formation, is it?"
Duke Livi gave a nod.
Just as Erika said, even with countless 2nd-Tier Mages feeding him magic power, his own ntal Energy had been more than half depleted—enough that he had no choice but to step down and rest.
This was a limitation no Mage could overco.
Even if one possessed trendous magical power, without sufficient ntal Energy, magic power could not be mobilized, Formations could not be laid, Runes could not be carved, and spells could not be cast.
If soone claid they could cast magic continuously for 3 days and 3 nights without collapsing flat on the ground—
Don't even bother saying anything. Just challenge them to a duel and be done with it.
Not even the most outlandish tall tale went that far.
That said, Livi couldn't help but recall the image of Erika standing at the Formation, channeling magic power without interruption for 5 hours.
Could it be that this item had sothing to do with that?
"Try so of this."
Erika popped the cap off the vial and handed it to her father.
Duke Livi frowned at the small blue vial in his hand, an instinctive reluctance rising within him. It didn't look like anything worth drinking.
"This.....liquid.....looks like industrial wastewater dyed with food coloring."
Could this thing possibly taste good?
"Just drink it already!"
Erika urged him impatiently.
Hearing his daughter's pestering, Duke Livi steeled himself against his aversion and downed it.
Whoosh!
A faint blue luminescence blood across his body.
In almost an instant, the ntal Energy within him recovered by nearly half.
Enough that he could resu casting spells without difficulty.
He felt the exhaustion in his mind ease considerably.
Duke Livi rubbed his temples. The fatigue from monts ago had almost entirely vanished.
As a high-tier Mage who had been imrsed in the 3rd Tier for over 30 years, he knew all too well just how extraordinary this effect was.
Seizing a mont when no one was watching, he promptly pocketed the now-empty vial and leaned down close to Erika, speaking softly into her ear:
"Do not let word of this get out. At least—not now!"
"Tell Daddy—how many bottles do you have left?"
Erika bent her fingers and started counting.
She had bought 10 bottles in total. She had wasted 1 at ho testing the effect. Maintaining magic output at the Formation had consud 4. Her father had just drunk 1 to restore his ntal Energy. So that left...
"4 bottles."
Duke Livi gripped Erika's shoulders, head bowed, and said in a grave tone:
"Until we return to the Royal Capital, you are to keep this matter absolutely secret."
"If word got out about this right now, it would attract the attention of those with ill intentions."
"This is sothing you cannot protect on your own—hand it over to Daddy. Daddy can handle it!"
Erika heard her father speak and let out a short "hmph," shaking her head:
"No. I spent a lot of my allowance on those."
"I'll double your allowance when we get ho!"
"Deal."
Erika thought to herself:
These were made by Professor Viktor anyway. I'll just ask him to make more when I see him at the Academy.
Professor Viktor should agree to that...right?
Feeling rather pleased with herself for having negotiated a profit out of her father, Erika cheerfully handed Duke Livi 3 bottles.
Had her father not said to keep 1 on her just in case, she would have given them all away.
Duke Livi cradled the potions carefully and took his leave.
Watching her father's sowhat comical shuffling exit, Erika couldn't help but laugh.
Duke Livi quickly returned to the mid-slope, taking his place at the great Formation once more and resuming the channeling of magic power to sustain the Spell Formation.
Several 3rd-Tier Mages who were still resting spotted Duke Livi heading back up.
Unable to hold back, one of them called out:
"My Lord Duke, do you not need to rest?"
Duke Livi turned to look at them and offered a genial smile. "Mm, my ntal Energy is still quite sufficient. You all rest first—I can maintain the great Formation on my own."
???
He's back already?
The few 3rd-Tier Mages who had completely drained their magic power stood there in stunned silence.
A mont ago it was your daughter standing for 5 hours without budging an inch—and now it's your turn to plant yourself up there and not co down?
Is everyone in the du Chloe family out of their minds!?
At that mont, Erika was in exceptionally high spirits. Had it not been to send the Duke away, she wouldn't have given up the potions even if her allowance were multiplied by 10.
She wanted to get to the summit, and now the only option left was to work on Gwen.
So Erika made her way back to Gwen, feigning a squirming, uncomfortable expression as she spoke: "Sis, I really can't hold it anymore!"
"We're both girls—Sis definitely understands, right?"
Erika looked up at Gwen with teary eyes, pleading.
Gwen thought it over for a mont, and then—just slightly—her cheeks flushed.
It seed she had figured out what Erika was referring to.
As it happened, was today actually her ti of the month?
This was a matter that touched on a girl's dignity. Gwen considered it, and in the end had no choice but to give Erika her consent.
The reason Erika had given her was simply too hard to refuse.
Erika was thrilled at first and nearly leapt into the air—but rembering what she had just said, she forced herself to keep up the appearance of soone enduring considerable discomfort.
Then she heard Gwen say: "For your safety, I will accompany you."
Erika deflated imdiately.
With such a formidable Knight Commander at her side, the odds of slipping away right under her nose were next to none.
But Erika hadn't given up. As long as an opportunity presented itself, she could still make her move!
Before long, the 2 of them arrived at an area with no one around.
The surface of the volcano was flat and open—there was barely a single thing to hide behind.
After so searching, they managed to find a lone boulder that offered just enough cover to serve as a screen.
Erika's eyes darted around in a quick sweep. Then, red-faced, she asked Gwen to move a little further away—she was feeling shy.
Gwen gave a puzzled look, then said, "We're both girls. What is there to be shy about?"
Still, she stepped back a few paces.
Erika crouched down behind the boulder, and was just about to make the motion of pulling down her trousers when she looked up—and locked eyes directly with Gwen.
Mortified, she called out to Gwen from a distance: "Would you turn your head and stop looking at !"
Gwen: "......"
She silently stepped back a few more paces, then turned her head away.
Fine, she wouldn't look. It made no difference either way.
In that brief mont of turned heads, a flash of blue light lit up the face of the volcano. Gwen caught the faint edge of that blue glow out of the corner of her eye and spun around instantly.
The Teleportation Formation had already materialized. Erika stepped into it, smiling brightly as she gave Gwen a cheerful wave.
"Please tell my father for —I'll co back safely."
Gwen lunged forward, arm outstretched to stop her—but the distance was too great. There was no ti.
Whoosh!
Erika's figure vanished in an instant.
Gwen reached into nothing and caught only air. She lowered her head, staring at the ground, and murmured:
"A Teleportation......Formation?"
Where could she have gone?
Gwen recalled Erika's very first question.
"Who is that Mage?"
Viktor Clavena.
The na flashed through her mind without warning, and her gaze snapped sharply toward the summit.
The next instant, it was as though a gale erupted beneath her feet, and she shot toward the summit at trendous speed.
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