Mid Morning - Late Fall : The Golden Lotus, Northern Market District (Valtivar)

"Haah..." Several hours had already passed since Amara left, but instead of experimenting to pass time like I normally would, I was drowning my agitation in alcohol at the living room table. -I shouldn't have asked Sigmond to try and explain divinity...-

Long story short, once Amara left, and Sigmond and I went back to talking about divinity, my whole understanding of it was thrown out the window. -It honestly feels like an amalgamation of concepts bundled together to fill gaps of uncertainty in other theories...- (Like dark matter)

Digging through my memories once again, I did all I could to try and visualize something that could possibly fit even just a handful of the concepts Sigmond mentioned, but nothing fit the bill. At least that's what I thought.

-Wait a minute... Could that be it?- Thinking all the way back to my dragon sleep in Kaelallan, I finally remembered the tiny, mana-like energy that was exuded from my body in the 'dream'. (Chapter 77 [1])

It was an energy that fit the mold for several of Sigmond's outlandish concepts, being a nearly omnipotent energy that even had the potential to manipulate or create mana, but... -Did the voice say it was a bit more complicated than that because it's totally wrong? Or just partially...- *tap* Getting caught in another dilemma, I set my head down on the table. "Haah..."

Although it was also a little concerning that my body in the dream exuded that energy, I was able to chalk it up to the energy simply not originating from anything divine as its name suggested. -But wait.. if I think of it as an energy that's independent from the gods, how would mortal beings manage to obtain it?-

As if a lightbulb lit up in my head, countless plausible theories blasted through my mind, with one that stood out among them. -What if I were to pressure mana beyond the point it would naturally turn crystalline?- Even though it sounded like an impossible scenario, even back then, I knew a creature could have enough mana that at the very center of their reserve, the mana would naturally crystallize. -It wouldn't be crazy to think something could go beyond that, right?-

But that was easier said than done.

The next couple of hours felt like an eternity as I continued to get more and more agitated from failing to get a single reaction over and over again.

But that was when an accident turned into a blessing.

Mid-experiment, I accidentally used a bit of space mana and watched it send a tiny ripple through the fabric of space. *vwoom*

This was nothing out of the norm, but something was a bit peculiar about mana’s reaction to it. -The mana didn't warp with it?-

Wanting to make sure I wasn't going insane, I sent another, much larger ripple through the bundle of mana I was looking at, and noticed that, unlike atoms, that both moved and appeared to visibly shrink momentarily within the ripple, the mana only moved.

It was at that moment that an unfathomably insane idea came to mind. -What if I used a sudden warp in space to force the mana to undergo insane pressure?- It was a level of pressure far beyond anything naturally obtainable, but that didn't mean there was no way it could be done by humanoids. -By using ripples caused by mana cores exploding, it would totally be possible...-

Not realizing how hot the fire I was playing with was, I started with just a handful of aura and slowly escalated things until I decided to try it on my reserve itself.

-There wasn't much of a reaction with the smaller amounts, but maybe it just needs a balance of density, quantity, and pressure.- Looking more closely at my reserve, I lined the outside with countless rings of space mana and braced myself.

"Hooh..." -Here goes nothing...- *vwoom* As the circular waves of space mana were shot into my reserve, the ripple continued to grow exponentially until it finally reached its apex at the very center of my ocean of mana.

I watched intently, excited to see the result of the experiment, but before I could see what happened...

*blip-VWOOOM*

My mind flicked off like a light switch.

*thud*

-

- Leif Vilulf ~

*flip* "Holy..." -Just how excited were the citizens after hearing about The Revival during the last pilgrimage?- I struggled to believe my eyes as I read the paper on my desk: 'Current Estimated Population: 226,469,020. 37% Increase from the previous pilgrimage.'

-The area around the Tree of Prayer should still fit them all, but the capital will need to expand considerably before the next pilgrimage...-

"Oh, Miss Apostle~!" *Thunk* Kicking open the door to my office was a familiar face, my childhood friend and personal assistant, Oda Ashild.

"Took you long enough." Finally pulling my mind out of the paperwork on my desk, I leaned back and took a sip of my tea. "So how was your trip?"

"Haah, couldn't have been worse..." Plopping herself and her stack of papers down on the couch in front of my desk, she poured herself a cup of tea and swigged it like it was alcohol. "You'll either be welcoming a new apostle candidate this pilgrimage or dealing with something unreasonably troublesome..."

I tilted my head with a confused look. -What kind of options are those?- "Where is the possible candidate from?"

"Spiall, the city that ended up killing that evolutionary beast." She leaned back like she was a bit agitated.

-Oh right...- "Did they end up taking the elixir before we could seize it?"

"Correct. One ended up taking it before we could get there, and sadly it was the most potent of the batch." Setting down her empty glass, she reached over and sifted through several papers. "Her name is Liv Sigmond, a student at the academy."

"Oh, that's good." Although I tried to stay nonchalant, just hearing her name made me excited. -Finally! A female candidate!-

"A few years ago, when she last reported to the academy, she was low-cleric rank with quite an impressive record. Even at the pace she had then, she had the potential to become a priest."

"Wow, so she is talented too? It sounds like she deserved the elixir in my opinion, so what's with your expression?" Normally, Oda would also be excited about this kind of thing, but this time, her expression looked conflicted.

"Haah... She underwent evolution after drinking the elixir, but..."

"But, what? Did she turn into a frog or something?"

As I was about to chuckle though, she looked me in the eyes. "Instead of becoming a high-elf like expected, she became something closer to part elf, part dragon..."

My mind stuttered the instant she said it. "Did you say, dragon?" Seeing her nod, I felt a sudden knot appear in my stomach. "Have you detained the people who made the elixir yet?"

"Yes, and we did find the culprit quite quickly. At the orders and supply of the previous Commander of Spiall, a dragon scale was mixed into the elixir." Her face showed a mix of fear and concern.

"Are you sure it was an actual dragon scale?" At that point, I was trying to hopelessly grasp at loose strings.

"You remember Verdandi? That low-priest I brought with me? She said herself that the scales on Miss Sigmond's body did not belong to a wyvern."

"Hooh..." I had to let out a deep breath to try and calm down. "I need you to call her here immedi-"

"Great Vilulf!" The voice of a maid I only vaguely recognized echoed down the hallway outside my office.

-What could she possibly be interrupting us for?-

*knock-knock-knock*

"Please come in." My voice was merciless, but my expression changed when I saw the maid's pale face.

"I have come to deliver an urgent message! Someone is destroying the Helvig family!"

*Vwoom-shatter* When my aura rushed forward into the room, the glass tea cup on my desk shattered. "Who dares to make a mess during the pilgrimage?!" I was simply livid. -Even the dragons can not cause a mess during this time!-

Quickly springing up from my desk, I picked up my sword and clipped it to my waist.

At that point, I was planning to go out and resolve the problem myself, but when I walked towards the door to my office, it felt like the sky collapsed.

*thud-Gasp* For a split second, I felt a presence so immense that I fell to my knees and gasped for air.

"Leif!" Oda broke into panic and immediately came to my side, but her look of concern turned to confusion when she noticed my expression.

I wore a smile, a smile of ecstasy. -I knew Dagr couldn't have revived alone!- "Our lord.. has finally returned!"