Ch.107Divergence Point. (3)

During the three weeks Olivia was away, her disciples had undergone many changes.

“Until Olivia returns, you will learn from me.”

Melina’s teachings were overwhelming just to keep up with. Both Melina and Olivia shared the common trait of pursuing extreme efficiency.

The fortunate thing was that Melina wasn’t as fierce as rumors suggested.

She was a strict teacher, but also kind.

Of course, Melina was only kind because they were Olivia’s disciples.

“Your disciples now know their place.”

Melina had made them understand their position by taking their magic attacks head-on without any shield.

Seeing her without a single scratch, the disciples felt determined rather than despair.

They realized how much they had been like frogs in a well.

That’s the nature of mages.

Once they clearly see there are higher realms, they cannot bear not to climb higher.

“…So, I should take hits with my bare body too?”

Olivia’s pupils trembled slightly.

As she looked up thinking “surely not,” her disciples began casting spells as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

[‘Advanced Mage, Aramis’ uses ‘Ice Rain’.]

[‘Semi-Advanced Mage, Jayna Eculane’ uses ‘Thunder Calling’.]

[‘Semi-Advanced Mage, Ro Fernandi’ uses ‘Light Saber’.]

Those guys are serious.

‘…How did they level up so much?’

One advanced and two semi-advanced mages.

With skills like that, they could easily secure elder positions at any magic tower.

‘Did she use time magic too?’

How much did she accelerate their thought processes to change people this much in just three weeks?

“No, guys. First, calm down…”

“It doesn’t hurt as much as expected, Master.”

“It’s… I mean, it’s more bearable than I thought.”

“Hehe, hehehe…”

Lifeless, dead eyes. Seeing this, Olivia was at a loss for words.

“…Melina?”

What on earth did you do?

Melina stared at Olivia for a while before clearing her throat.

“They’re still not used to the time ratio.”

“…Just how many times did you accelerate it to make people like this?”

“Ten times?”

With that answer, Olivia immediately understood her disciples’ impossible growth rate.

They had effectively been at it for 30 weeks, so it would have been stranger if they hadn’t grown.

Fortunately, Glacia didn’t seem interested in attacking. Well, even Olivia couldn’t withstand a dragon’s breath with her bare body.

Tststststst!

Fierce magical power settled upon the disciples.

Their faces were flushed with excitement. They looked like they were itching to cast spells at any moment.

“…You want me to take that?”

Olivia swallowed hard. Her gaze shifted to the chains binding her.

She could easily break these chains by releasing her mana, but…

“If you break them, do as you please.”

“…”

She didn’t have the confidence to deal with Melina’s aftermath.

Of course, she understood why Melina was doing this.

Surely, Melina had also been using thought acceleration.

With her obsession to protect Olivia in any situation, she wouldn’t be satisfied with putting in the same effort as others in the same timeframe.

Olivia was only a day late, but to Melina, it must have felt like well over a month.

Perhaps even longer.

Olivia allowed herself to be bound because she noticed Melina’s disappointment.

After all, Melina wasn’t the type to do this just to vent her frustrations.

There must be a valid reason for her actions.

“…As long as I don’t use shields, right?”

There are various ways to block magic. Dispel, or interfering with magical power to take control…

“Go ahead.”

“…Really?”

“And you’ll deal with the consequences yourself.”

“…”

Saying that, Melina moved behind Olivia. She whispered in her ear.

“Don’t take it too personally. It’s not just your disciples who need to understand their place.”

Melina spoke to the disciples.

“You all, shoot when I give the signal.”

She turned back to Olivia and said:

“You always try to dodge every spell. When it’s truly unavoidable, you try to block it. I understand doing that for high-level magic, but is it necessary to block and dodge even low-level spells?”

As if to demonstrate, Melina created a fireball at her fingertip and tossed it above her head. The fireball scattered like snowflakes upon touching her golden hair.

It was a clear example of the magic resistance of a highest-level mage who had temporarily touched the truth.

“…Well.”

Using dozens of times more mana and mental energy to preserve an ant’s whisker worth of health.

That’s what Melina was pointing out.

“I do know that…”

Attack is to be dodged. If you can’t dodge, then block.

It was a habit naturally formed after playing Lactea for thousands of rounds.

“You may know, but you don’t know to what extent you can withstand it.”

“…You want to experiment with that?”

“My, experiment, you say.”

Melina smiled brightly as she gently stroked Olivia’s cheek.

“It’s all to change your perception. And, this is also an opportunity for your disciples to learn how much magical power they need to use against a high-level mage.”

…Since she called it killing two birds with one stone, Olivia had no choice.

In truth, there was no better way to gauge her disciples’ achievements.

‘I was planning to use this against dragons anyway.’

Combat experience with Olivia, the pinnacle of ice magic, would be immensely helpful in the fight against the White Dragon Lord Carthian.

And it would also improve Melina’s mood.

“…Just this once.”

“Of course.”

When Melina signaled to the disciples, magic was fired as if they had been waiting.

Bang, kwang, kwagwang!

The explosions continued. Lightning, ice, and light scattered in all directions.

Olivia, who had been squeezing her eyes shut, slightly opened them. The surroundings were in ruins. But Olivia herself was fine.

‘…Did they really shoot?’

There was a sensation of something touching her. But that was it.

Wait, does this really work?

Even [Thunder Calling] is a fairly high-level spell, but she didn’t expect it to just feel slightly tingly.

Of course, having the same attribute might be a factor… but can the sensation of being struck by lightning be described as “tingly”?

As the thick dust settled, Melina approached with a smile. She looked as if she had expected this outcome.

The chains binding Olivia had disappeared.

“How does it feel?”

Melina was right.

Olivia hadn’t clearly known her place until now.

More precisely, her own strength.

“Do you think we can increase the intensity?”

“…Yes.”

The next moment, an overwhelming rain of magic engulfed Olivia.

*****

“…How did you end up like that?”

Seth, who had been promoted to a Nightcrow executive, looked Olivia up and down. There was a cut-like wound on her cheek. Her hair, though tidied up, was unevenly cut in places.

“I got hurt.”

“Is it related to not making contact for a month?”

“…Sort of similar.”

Through this opportunity, Olivia had clearly understood her own strength.

Magic below level 60 was useless against Olivia.

Of course, this was limited to magic. Physical attacks, even a dagger wielded by a neighborhood kid, would work.

Still, it wasn’t a bad outcome.

It meant she wouldn’t need to respond to lower-level magic from now on.

Olivia unconsciously stroked her cheek. A shallow wound, like a paper cut. This too was inflicted by her disciples.

‘They’ve grown a lot.’

And these were kids who hadn’t even studied for a year.

Of course, their growth rate would naturally slow down over time, but at this rate, they could fulfill their role as daggers in the future.

“Anyway, give me the information. I heard there’s been quite a commotion in the Empire.”

“…Actually, I have something to talk about regarding that.”

Seth’s expression turned serious.

“Did you know the princess was kidnapped by the Red Dragon Lord?”

“…Kidnapped?”

“I guess you didn’t know that much. The imperial palace is in chaos because of it.”

Dark mages were exiled from the country, and witch hunts were happening everywhere.

In a way, it was understandable. Eryas’s true form wasn’t exactly that of an ordinary dragon.

He looked ferocious and fierce enough to be mistaken for a demon dragon.

With the appearance of a demon dragon, they would naturally expel anything related to demons.

‘That guy has nothing to do with demons though.’

He might have a devilish personality, but he’s not a demon.

“You must trust me a lot? Telling me classified information like that.”

“I was checking if you were involved in this incident. Fortunately… it seems you’re not.”

Seeing Seth’s relief, Olivia said:

“Is there a reason you’re so concerned about the princess? There shouldn’t be any faction supporting her.”

“There is. The Krafen Duchy has aligned with the princess. Along with the Treasury Department, the Inspection Department, and three border counts. That’s just what’s been confirmed.”

“…As expected.”

“Hmm? What did you just say?”

“Just talking to myself, ignore it.”

Olivia waved her hand to divert Seth’s attention and thought:

‘…The Empire’s fall is just a matter of time.’

With finance, inspection, and even the military switching sides, it was essentially over. Public sentiment was already on Aria’s side.

‘It’s following the exact same scenario as the Empress.’

Among countless playthroughs, there were times when Aria was hailed as the Empress.

Back then, Aria acted just like she is now.

“Aria was supporting the Second Prince’s faction, right?”

“…That’s correct.”

By publicly supporting the Second Prince, she prevents the First Prince from being appointed as Crown Prince, maintaining a balance.

At that moment, Aria becomes imprinted in both princes’ minds as the most crucial factor they must obtain to reach the throne.

The Second Prince would fall into the abyss the moment he loses Aria’s support, and the First Prince could be appointed Crown Prince the moment he gains her support.

A delicate balancing act.

While pretending to maximize her benefits in between, she secretly draws nobles with real power to her side.

That’s Aria’s method.

‘Eryas wouldn’t have kidnapped Aria without reason… the Master of Dark must be involved too…’

Olivia stroked her chin, deep in thought.

‘So next is Carthian.’

What if the princess, who was kidnapped by a demon dragon, returns triumphantly riding on that dragon’s back?

Having gained substantial military power, the princes would be finished at that moment.

The Empire shouldn’t fall into Aria’s hands so soon.

“Soon, the Rothschild Duchy will attack the Red Tower Master.”

“…What do you mean?”

Olivia continued without paying attention:

“When that happens, take over the Mage Association, one of the Second Prince’s major power bases. It’s nothing to appoint someone in place of the Red Tower Master.”

Given the situation, they needed to make the First Prince the Crown Prince.