When Kiralne heard my question, she frowned and sighed. Then she looked at me deeply. I don't inch away from her stare and also gave her a deep look. After what seemed like an eternity within a moment, Kiralne sighed again then closed her eyes. When she opened them, I faintly saw a flash of sadness in her eyes. She said in an almost emotionless tone-

"I'll tell you my opinion on it while we eat. Is that alright?" (Kiralne)

"Sure!" (Krey)

I answered her positively. Kiralne went back to the kitchen while Liz engaged in a conversation with me.

'Krey nii-chan. Do you want to join the war?' (Lisana)

|Kyuu Kyuuui?|

"Yes, I do." (Krey)

Since Kiralne already knows that I can Liz can talk and can transform, there's no reason to converse with Liz only on my mind. But I use a whispering voice out of habit.

"Is that so?" (Lisana)

"Yeah. why?" (Krey)

"Nothing, Krey nii-chan." (Lisana)

Even if she said that, I can't help but feel a bad premonition. Even half a decade ago, she was also like this once. Where she forcibly did something to my weak reflexes and thought processing speed. Come to think of it, wasn't that feeling of being suspended in jelly from before seemed to contain a trace of Dragonic Mana in it? But still, whenever her tone of voice changes from a cheerful little girl to a gloomy little girl, I was always wary. She had that phase only twice, well thrice if you count this time, one on the Magic Mountain Range, two on the Underground Cavern.

The second is very disturbing that I don't even want to remember it.

But worrying about something that's not there won't solve anything so I set my mind back to the issue that I should have addressed a long time ago.

Of course there's a reason for it. If what the demon girl said is true then, she and a couple of other Grand-level mana manipulators infiltrated the Tolkium Continent and were tasked to kill every Grand Soldier and Grand Magus in the Tolkium Kingdom. I think that the Grand-level mana-manipulators are very important in defending a kingdom. They are basically one-man armies, an efficient fighting force. The question is why does the Lumen Isles Union want to invade Tolkium Kingdom? How is Tolkium Kingdom's war potential compared to the Lumen Isles Union? What are the repercussions if Tolkium Kingdom lost?

I still haven't discussed this with Kiralne before because she was in a really bad state five years ago and I didn't have any leisure to be dilly-dallying that time. I underestimated the potency of the particular mana-binding poison and stabilizing her condition took almost a month, during which she was in constant pain and agony. By the way, a year is equivalent to fifteen months, a month equivalent to four weeks, a week equivalent to ten days, and a day equivalent to forty-eight hours.

Its amazing that she was able to withstand such heart-rending agony for three weeks. My respect for her grew because of that. And the prescribed method to cure the poison needs my attention as well so I didn't think too much of mundane things. Also, I was too caught up with developing my own true divine art, Divine Art: Parallel Thought as well as new spells, , and . Anyway, the demon girl was probably sent to kill Kiralne along with the beard-man and red ninja guy. I admire that demon girl because of her craftiness. She tricked those two to attack Kiralne together to take out the bigger threat and killed them while she was at it. She was a sly person. Too bad she was rude to me. I didn't know if she survived or not but I think she was also caught up within divine mana sphere that protected us from that stupid god's attack but I don't know what happened to her.

Well whatever, if she died then hurray for me. If she survived, I'll kill or torture her during the war. I mean, that spell took a hell of a lot of refined mana, even with the cost reduction ability of Geheimnis Kaiser. I burned out my refinement base and lost eighty years of my lifespan because of that damn aura-raising spell. A mana manipulator can emit Aura Essence when they become a Senior-level mana manipulator. Aura Essence is a common divine art. I don't want or dare to use that horrible spell again as it forcibly creates an artificial Aura Essence and makes its quality rise to the level of a Saint. Tricky. I don't want to name it or I might get attached to it and impulsively use it.

A little while later, Kiralne came back with three bowls and two spoons. I waited as Kiralne filled up a bowl of vegetable soup for me, and for herself. The last one is for Liz but she seemingly ignored it, only to take occasional glances once in a while. Finally, while we both pretended not to look, she took a little sip, then went back to lying down. To that, we could only look at each other and smile wryly.

Kiralne picked up her spoon and lightly stirred the soup in her bowl, and then she began to speak-

"The war... as long as it doesn't endanger you, I won't care about it. Unless... you have a reason for being curious about it?" (Kiralne)

While she asked me that despondently, I took a sip of the murky yet delicious liquid and responded-

"I'm planning on joining the war." (Krey)

"...Eh?" (Krey)

When I said that, Kiralne put on a face of disbelief and the fingers holding her spoon began to slightly tremble. Her face also began to slowly change to that of anger. A bit worried about this, I was about to explain my intentions when-

"W-what did you say!?" (Kiralne)

"I said, I want to participate in the war on Tolkium's side. There might be some ways to ge-" (Krey)

"Stop joking! You are still too weak! And I can't even protect you with this damned poison in my body!" (Kiralne)

Before I finish stating my reasons, Kiralne interjected fiercely, stopping the words in my throat as she suddenly stood up and yelled at me. I felt a vein suddenly appear in my vein with a *puchi*. I don't like getting interrupted. Even if you became a perfect example of a perverted tolerable elf onee-san that I can only encounter on anime, light novels and games which I am quite fond of, you can't get away that easily with irritating me!

As my expression darkened, Kiralne ranted a bit more-

"And you're still a kid! What has gotten into your head?! Besides we are trapped in here until the poison is out of my body. And even if we do get out, I'm not letting you join the war. There are many more dangers than you can ever imagine in a war between these countries." (Kiralne)

Now Kiralne adopted a pose that seems to be scolding me. Her arm on her hips, her finger gesturing towards me and a frown on her face. I felt two more veins pop out with a *puchi puchi* sound and I'm almost in the brink of exploding. Lucky for you Kiralne, that you are a girl, otherwise I would have blown your head off and cremated your remains! You'd be the third person who might have received that treatment if your and my relationship hadn't improved in the past five years.

"Hey, Kiralne-" (Krey)

"No! No! As your protector, it is my duty to keep you out of harm's way until you are capable of defending yourself. Even if I die, as the last member of the Vitavare clan, I will see to it don- Ow-?! Wha-!!?" (Kiralne)

As I felt three veins popped on my forehead figuratively for the first time in five years, I used {Telekinesis} to make my spoon float and controlled it to flick Kiralne's forehead. Since she has the strength of a normal girl in her early twenties... well based on her appearance that is, the {Telekinesis} spoon-flick which I flung without thinking caused her to fall down the ground on her butt, holding her forehead with teary eyes... its actually cute. Suppressing my irritation and sadistic nature, I looked down at Kiralne coldly, the carefree smile I usually have is wiped out from my face and I adopted a slightly stern expression.

"Kiralne. I know that you have the duty to protect me but this is my decision. Didn't you swear an oath not to hinder me in anyway? Or is that oh-so-sacred 'Kiss of Vow' simply a joke?" (Krey)

"Of course not! Each word, and that ritual are genuine! Even if you are the Champion of Frelinia, I won't have you look down on my clan's legacy!" (Kiralne)

As I said that casually, Kiralne stood up and angrily defended her clan's honor. How admirable but unfortunately, I don't understand your feelings and I'm a little fickle. Now, let's see here. I'll just use the same thing I used every time me and Kiralne have an argument. It was only by chance that I discovered her weakness. Even with her mana core being suppressed, rendering her a cripple who cannot manipulate mana she was still incomparably unyielding. Most likely, she was bred as an oujo-sama so she is very proud. But I discovered the number one/ best way to make her yield! And its quite simple.

In a span of five breaths, my gaze slowly turned cold and dark while my expression became desolately indifferent. A dispassionate smile hung on my face.

"And? Will you still obstruct me from my objective? Or will you follow the purpose of your clan? To serve Frelinia. the Goddess of Life and to help her Champion, me. Which is it?" (Krey)

As I said that, I closed my eyes and let the spoon that was floating a while ago return to my hand. Using it, I took another sip of this delicious yet somewhat bland soup. Mmmm.... The texture is just right and the leafy vegetables have a certain chewiness yet also soft. As I make positive reviews about Kiralne's cooking with my second mind, my first mind is utilizing Aura Sense.

Liz is trying to make a telepathic conversation with me but I block it with my third mind. The fourth mind is on standby. Making new spells, seals, rune enchantments and sigil formations can be done at a leisurely pace. Preferably when I'm meditating or asleep.

Kiralne is probably gnashing her teeth right now while tapping her finger furiously on the table. Every time we have an argument, I just have to act indifferently towards her and she will become like this. She doesn't seem scared of me but she is indeed agitated. I don't know why but its a trump card I'm willing to constantly use.

Even with my eyes closed, Aura Sense, a common divine art received at the elite-level allows me to 'see' what is happening outside. Its like an enhanced sonar/radar.

Me and her already came to an understanding four years ago that I don't have a mindset of child and she is to treat me like an adult. Of course when she first heard it, she didn't believe me and as I slowly pressed her she relented reluctantly with a bit of sadness and longing.

Of course I know its also because she doesn't want to anger me. Our relationship unexpectedly improved to the level where I won't feel disgusted and instead be happy to call her onee-san affectionately. Though I won't do it, otherwise a creepy yandere face might appear again and scare the shit out of me.

"...on one condition." (Kiralne)

Finally Kiralne spoke and I opened my eyes to look at her. The sharp gaze and icy, indifferent smile that I still have is directed at her, but she amazingly ignored it and looked at me. She would usually meekly back down in our arguments but clearly she is resolute this time.

"If the poison is gone... and if you reach at least the elite rank... I'll let you join the war and I will follow you. The wars last as long as two centuries and as short as three years... by now you must be a late-stage senior magus right? With your talent and resources given to you by your master, reaching elite rank will not take too long." (Kiralne)

With those words, my gaze turned softer and I put on my usual carefree smile. You underestimate me too much Kiralne~. Well I'm a cheat character anyway so I can't be proud. Maybe have a bit of fun here and there with my power but its not really mine... maybe I'll return it to Frelinia once this issue is done... Whoa! Almost got depressed there. I shake of such negative thoughts in my mind and said-

"Alright!~ Well, let's finish eating and begin the treatment given by my master~" (Krey)

"... You really know how to stir me up." (Kiralne)

She uttered this in a tired voice. Well, she seemed considerably stressed when the topic about her clan's honor came up. She did say that she is the last Vitavare elf. Family bonds are quite strange. I usually see them in stories about blood being thicker than water but I still don't get it. Take it from a guy who only relied on himself ever since he was a kid but I don't see the significance of family. Close relationships might be beneficial in the long-run but its fine if its just a business connection right? Well, whatever. Since she said that she's the only member left of the Vitavare clan. I wonder what happened? Well, she'll tell me in due time. Maybe she'll also tell me why she is uncomfortable with seeing me become disinterested.

"Haha, your just easy to read. Now why do these wars take a long time to end? You said three years in the shortest?" (Krey)

This is what I want to ask. I'm not sure why wars are long here and the wars I heard of on Earth generally lasts for five months or more but wars that take years are rare... to me anyway. I don't pay attention to foreign affairs after all~. Hearing my question. she first pouted but still replied-

"Wars between huge countries like the Lumen Isles Union and Tolkium Kingdom are like that because, neither side can take advantage of each other. Tolkium Kingdom is specialized in ground battles while the Lumen Isles Union is specialized in naval warfare. Skirmishes can occur on both land and sea. In the end, it becomes a war of attrition with victory or defeat lying on the resources of each country and the advances of their respective 'Colonnades'." (Kiralne)

"What's a Colonnade?" (Krey)

I ask her as this is a new term I have just heard. A colonnade? Like in a building supported by a group of columns? Don't tell me that wars are decided on who destroys whose base first is it? Or maybe they're talking about a certain point? A location? Or is it an object?

"A Colonnade is a title, given to people who possess the strength of a Grand Soldier/ Grand Magus and above. A colonnade supports an entire structure just like these certain individuals hold the future of a kingdom. I, myself was given a title of Colonnade but I rejected it. Nevertheless, they still pinned that title on me." (Kiralne)

As Kiralne said that, she put on a look of annoyance but it looks more like a pout to me. I really don't know why pretty girls, no matter what expression they make, they are still lovely. Is it a pre-established trait? Are the heavens that biased?

"Hmmm... *slurp*One more bowl please." (Krey)

"... I know I've asked this a lot of times before but where do you put that food in your small body?!" (Kiralne)

The fuck you are talking about? I am not small! You are just taller than me! Although the wooden bowls are eight inches in diameter and four inches in height, I usually eat a lot even on Earth. Studying and working can make you very tired so it is necessary to replenish your energy with sleeping and eating. Though I usually do the latter. I was reserved last time with Sally because I want to keep up an image of an innocent young boy... though it must have already failed when I killed those bandits last time. And I wasn't that hungry anyways.

Nevertheless Kiralne still filled up my bowl with another serving of her vegetable soup. In the corner of my eye, I can see Liz putting her head in her own bowl, also ingesting her own share. But when she sensed my gaze she instantly returned from her original position, pretending to ignore the soup.

"I'm a growing boy. This much food is nothing. Besides, practicing stances with my glaive for two hours was your idea wasn't it? You cooked this much soup so isn't it an insult to you if I didn't eat it all?" (Krey)

"Uuuu... you're right. Hmm? What is it Lisana?" (Kiralne)

"Kyu~!" (Lisana)

"Eh? You also finished yours?" (Kiralne)

Liz unexpectedly consumed her share while we were talking earlier. Lisana nudge Kiralne with her snout and and pushed her empty bowl using her snout towards Kiralne. Kiralne looked baffled but still filled up Liz's bowl with more vegetable soup.

"What about you? You won't get another serving?" (Krey)

"No. One bowl is enough for me and I know most of the soup will be consumed by you two so I'm not worried about any leftovers." (Kiralne)

"Hmm... *slurp* *slurp* *slurp* *chew* *swallow* *slurp*... One more please." (Krey)

"Kyu~! Kyuaa~!" (Lisana)

After a few minutes we finally finished eating everything in the entire pot. To that, Kiralne leisurely took the pot back to the kitchen and sounds of water flowing can be heard from there. Liz lazily stretched her limbs and flew to my back, once again hanging on to me.

I was already used to her backpack-like weight and went to the meditation room. The meditation room has a embedded on the floor. Made by me of course.

There's a difference between , and . are magical words used to make an ordinary item into a magic item. Of course, there are many ways to create a magic item but using is one of the three best ways. Of course enchantments don't necessarily mean 'good'. It depends on the mage who wrote the enchantments to determine the nature of their use.

on the other hand are, in a way, related to . If are magical words then and

There is a difference between symbols and languages. For example, a symbol like %. Its not a letter but a symbol. Words are formed by letters and % is not a letter.

Understanding this is hard because magical words and symbols are called Runes and runes in my eyes are fancy scribbles.

are used to suppress, otherwise weaken a particular target while are used to enhance, strengthen, reinvigorate, quicken, empower... yeah, anything related to making something better.

To put it simply, they are like De-buff and Buff spells respectively but unlike spells that are effective in the short term, they can be give long term or permanent effects in a fixed location.

This particular is a complicated one. It gathers the raw mana in the surroundings, sifts through it and separates wind-type, nature-type and water-type mana from the raw mana and congregates it into the space where the

This is shaped like a circle with runes arranged in an elegant manner. It actually looks like a magic circle. The process of curing the poison in Kiralne's mana core is an easy yet tedious process. This particular is to make a comfort zone for Kiralne since her elemental affinities are nature-exceptional, wind-good and water-average.

Its not like I want to make her feel comfortable or anything. Its just to ascertain that no impurities in the surrounding mana so that the treatment would go smoothly.

After a few minutes, Kiralne finally showed up and with experienced movements, sat down in the lotus position and turned away from me. She then slowly removed the top part of her dougi, revealing her smooth, unblemished white skin. I've seen it a couple of times already and Kiralne has proven that she is really a top-tier beauty. Every part of her is evidently beautiful.

"Okay... Kiralne, this is the last step in assimilating the poison with your mana core. Once the poison is assimilated within your core, it would become a part of you and you will be able to use it indiscreetly. You musn't lose focus during this process okay?" (Krey)

"Yes. Krey..." (Kiralne)

Kiralne seemed to have hesitation when she called out to me making me curious so I asked her-

"What is it?" (Krey)

"...No, never mind." (Kiralne)

"Hmmm... fine. Concentrate on meditating and tell me if you feel a change in your core." (Krey)

Though a bit unsatisfied by Kiralne's unusual indecisiveness, I reminded her to focus on the task at hand.

Kiralne nodded and closed her eyes while I simply stood behind her. Channeling the refined mana from my mana reserves is second nature to me because of Divine Art: Mana Force Manipulation. Refined mana gathered and condensed in both of my palms. I approached her and placed my hands upon her back. My augmented eyes observed the situation of her core. Her mana core is still covered in that poisonous film while the , an is still placed on it. There are many types of seals and this seal is the most useful for Kiralne's situation.

Refined mana swirled in my palms. The light blue coloration of the clouds of refined mana rotated steadily, neither fast nor slow. I placed my two hands upon Kiralne's pristine white back and willed the refined mana to enter her body while I observed the state of Kiralne's mana core.

The light blue strands of refined mana reached the area where Kiralne's mana core is. The poisonous film suddenly became thicker, as if attempting to block the strands of refined mana from reaching the mana core but I've already seen this happen a lot of times.

As if on cue, the flashed a bright white light and then the poisonous film became thinner, miuch more thinner than it was before. It looked very fragile, like a simple touch would break it but I know how resilient and stubborn this poison is. It would take a whole lot more than a created by an elder magus to suppress this particular poison.

In the area where the is placed, multiple gaps can be seen upon which led directly to the mana core. I willed the light blue strands of refined mana to pass through the gaps and reach the mana core. The light blue strands of refined mana touched the surface of the mana core and is slowly being absorbed inside of it. The patterns around the mana core seemed to get brighter, as if they were plants receiving their daily nourishment of water becoming more vibrant as it receives more of the strands of refined mana.

With my augmented eyes, I observed the inner parts of the mana core. In my sight, I can see a tube. A simple tube thst is cylindrical in shape and has light blue liquid substances inside of it. The liquid substances almost filled up the entire tube, with only a few more drops of liquid in order for it to be full. Right now the strands of mana have reached this tube. This tube is known as the refinement base.

The numerous strands began to congeal outside of the refinement base, condensing into something thicker and with form. After what seemed like long time, the strands finally transformed... into a drop of a liquid substance. The same liquid substance in the refinement base. Liquefied refined mana. A compressed form of mana whenever it is in the mana reserves or refinement base.

This drop of liquefied refined mana slowly floated towards the refinement base and with a *plop*, it joined the other liquefied refined mana. The strands of refined mana once again began congealing to another drop.

My method to cure Kiralne is actually simple~. The Mana-Binding Viper Poison is a special type of poison. Instead of directly affecting the body, it instead corrodes and suppresses the mana inside of the body. The body can still live on without mana but is a huge blow towards the mana manipulator.

Another special thing about the Mana-Binding Viper Poison is that it does not actually kill the infected individual. A peculiar trait of this poison. But instead it would make the infected individual feel agonizing and heart-wrenching pain, enough to force the person to commit suicide.

When a mana manipulator is afflicted with the Mana-Binding Viper Poison, the mana core would be suppressed to the point where you will feel like an ordinary person, weak, feeble, powerless. But the rank which one has attained... can still be reclaimed.

The poison only suppresses the mana and mana core but it cannot obliterate it. It is still there, just rendered immobile and inactive.which is why there are antidotes for this thing but they are very expensive. Mana-Binding Viper Poison is expensive because it is used for sinister activities, in other words torture.

Its popular with the nobles if they want to make fun of their enemies that they have captured but that's just human nature. I won't dwell on it.

The Mana-Binding Viper Poison is only effective to those under the Arch Knight and Arch Magus rank. There is a reason for this but I don't feel like explaining. If the poison is only effective to those under that particular level, won't it be simple to raise the person's level towards that level (Arch rank)?

The answer in no. When one is afflicted with the Mana-Binding Viper Poison, one will lose the ability to feel, control or utilize mana. Not only will the mana inside one's body be suppressed, one also won't be able to feel it, much less make use of it.

But in Kiralne's case... she has me. A person who has experienced the phenomenon, All-Magic Awakening, making me a paragon of magic, an entity who has understood the profound mysteries and truths of the elements. Another thing is that I possess the True Divine Art: Mana Force Manipulation, a true divine art allowing me to control and use mana as I will without difficulty.

The process to raise one's rank is to fill up the refinement base to the very brim, and meditate and try to understand the profound mysteries and truths of one's elemental attribute/affinity. If one is trying to raise one's stage, one must meditate to understand their respective elements' profound truths while those who wants tor raise one's rank, one must understand their respective elements' profound mysteries.

Since all I have to do is fill up is Kiralne's refinement base, simply shoving the refined mana towards her refinement base is a simple job for me. Of course, this is not the only way to cure Kiralne from the poison. I can simply overlap the with more and more other seals to dispel the poison but that would be boring.

Besides... I have other plans for this Mana-Binding Viper Poison.

After a long period of time, Kiralne's refinement base is made full. At this moment, boundless refined mana suddenly surged out of Kiralne, making me take a few steps back. And I dashed towards her front, surprising Liz who was hanging on my back and throwing her off making her fly around the room. Kiralne had her eyes open and looked at me with shock and disbelief. Of course she's like this. I simply told her that I'll cure the poison but I did not tell her how. Yet she still believes it because she thinks that the method came from my "master"... its a bit annoying to keep up this facade. I'll tell her the truth after this... well one part of the truth anyway.

Kiralne continued to stared at me, shell-shocked and had her mouth flapping, uttering incomprehensible words which I somehow understood.

"Wha-?...How-? Wh-" (Kiralne)

A bit annoyed, I once more put on an icy indifferent expression. Dispassionately gazing at her I said coldly yet with a commanding tone-

"Focus and meditate. Understand the profound mysteries of nature, wind, and water." (Krey)

"Y-yes!" (Kiralne)

"Kyua!" (Lisana)

She suddenly stiffened and closed her eyes. Liz flew towards me but did not attach herself to my back and just flapped her wings, staying in that position in mid-air, beside me.

'Krey nii-chan, are you sure that this will work? Will the poison truly assimilate with big sis Kira and allow here to use its power?' (Lisana)

|Kyuua? Kyuuu?|

Yep. This was my plan. The Mana-Binding Viper Poison is a special substance, no it might even be called a natural treasure. Its de-buff potential is very endearing to me but I can just create a spell with the same effect as it. So I figured that its better to hand it over to Kiralne. A strong party member is a must in RPGs, and its even more precious here in Salratia where strength is one of the factors that allows you to survive.

What I'm doing is raising Kiralne's rank to an Arch Knight and assimilating the poison with her core, allowing her to use the power of the poison in battle but... its just a theory of mine.

"Liz... to tell you the truth, I'm just experimenting here." (Krey)

'What?! That's big sis Kira over there! What if you will hurt her?!' (Lisana)

|Kyuiii?! Kyu! Kyuaaauu?!|

Lisana was startled and began to panic. She flew towards me and tried to scratch my face with her somewhat sharp talons and bite my ear with her small yet sharp teeth. Of course I have a {Mana Film} deployed beforehand to shield myself from this adorable onslaught.

"Liz, calm down! I said experiment but it does not mean that it will fail! In fact, this has a high chance of succeeding!" (Krey)

I say confidently. Kiralne is already a good companion to me and it would leave a bad taste in my mouth is she got hurt, therefore I only did this with a certain success percentage in mind.

'... How high?' (Lisana)

|Kyu?]

"22 percent!" (Krey)

'Stupid onii-chan!' (Lisana)

Then Liz scratched and bit at me with more vigor as if overcome with madness. Hey what the hell is wrong with 22 percent chance of success? Its already high for me and if it does fail, at most Kiralne would feel horrible pain even more sinister and vicious than before but she'll still live. And she'll be an Arch Knight to boot too! Its a win-win situation for all of us.

"Alright Liz, time-out for you. [Electric Wave]" (Krey)

I cast one of my new spells towards Liz, [Electric Wave. After that sparks and tendrils of yellow lightning manifested in front of me. They began to compacttogether and formed a vague outline of a fan and shot itself towards Liz.

'Noooo~~! Krey nii-chan!... Guehehe~~~ Haha~ Onii-chan~ Why are there three of you~?~~ Is it a new spell? Kuehehe~~'

|Kyuaaa~~! Kyuuuua!... Kyu kyua kyui~~~ Kyua~ Kyuiuiuiu~ Kyuaa~?~~ Kyuiii? Kyuuuu~~| (Lisana)

Liz who was hit by the [Electric Wave] stumbled in the air spinning a few times while howling in frustration then flew unsteadily in the air uttering words in a tone that could only be compared to a drunk. I don;t know what species of dragon Liz is but she is definitely intoxicated by lightning. Yep. To win an argument one must always have the upper hand. It is true that 90% of problems can be solved through violence though it wasn't really violence that I used.

While thinking that, Liz who fell on the floor transformed back to a little girl with dark black hair, white skin and golden eyes and wearing a black one-piece dress. She had a sleepy yet sleazy expression in her face as she lied down on the ground.

As a responsible older brother, I took out a pelt from Kiralne's storage ring and placed it on top of Liz. She'll be comfortable this way.

As that happened, I turned back to look at Kiralne, who still had refined mana emitting from her body. The refined mana is slowly swirling about in the room but I prevent it from leaving with Mana Force Manipulation.

Using my augmented eyes, I observed the situation of her mana core. Her mana core is slowly changing. The elegant patterns and smooth surface of the globe is still there but a type of armor is growing on the surface of the mana core. Its not gaudy nor plain but its also as elegant like the mana core.

The poisonous film is still suppressed by the unable to impede the progress of the mana core's transmogrification.

Smirking, I channeled refined mana onto both of my finger tips and began to write in the air. My left hand is writing the diagrams for another , an while my right hand is making the symbols and arranging them into a , a .

Complicated and beautiful runes are gradually formed in front of me, making the scenery mystical. The light blue glow coming from these runes light up the room along with the refined mana coming from Kiralne.

While writing the and with the help of my First Mind, I glanced at Kiralne and assessed her progress... I know I've said this before but are the heavens this biased or do they truly favor this elf?

I can see that her mana core has finished transmogrifying which signifies that Kiralne has understood three profound mysteries... in a span of two hours.

Geeez! Not only a beauty but a genius as well!

I can't help but click my tongue in praise. Kiralne is quite special. She would have been a perfect ojou-sama if she wasn't as perverted as this.

While thinking that I willed the and towards the still clad in mana Kiralne.

Her mana core finally changed with a beautiful armor-like edges on the smooth globe making it look beautiful yet imposing at the same time. The patterns became even more obvious and also intricately spread around the surface.

The poisonous film seems to be on the verge of dying out. I was expecting it to get stronger as Kiralne meditated but Kiralne's comprehension speed is simply too fast. Her stepping into the Arch Knight rank instantly suppressed the poisonous film. She is hiding the fact that she is a genius inside huh?

I wonder how old Kiralne really is?

Well, whatever.

The attached itself to the mana core with the poisonous film in tow, compressed into a small ball of poison. The embed itself into the and the small ball of poison, which was shrinking abruptly stabilized. With the on one side and the on the other side small ball of Mana-Binding Viper Poison floated harmoniously on the surface of Kiralne's mana core, as if it was a part of it.

The also embedded itself onto the area where the poison and the two were and also surrounded the ball of poison. Nurturing energy transmitted from the towards the ball and very slowly began strengthened the ball of poison.

Looks like its a success.

After I retracted my sight from her mana core, Kiralne also opened her eyes, happiness and excitement visible on her expression. She jumped up with vigor and skipped happily towards me.

Before she could ask me about what I just did, I simply cut to the chase to got this over with.

"Hey Kiralne. You already are an Arch Knight right? If so activate your Aura Essence. Don't hold back." (Krey)

I no longer have the desolate and blank expressions from before and instead a carefree smile floated on my face. The one that I was used to for a long time.

"Why?" (Kiralne)

"Just do it." (Krey)

Although Kiralne frowned about this request, she still trusted me and activated the Common Divine Art: Aura Essence.

From her body, refined mana surged out like a wild wave, flooding the entire room and expanding towards the outside, possibly the entire underground cavern. The refined mana was like a powerful yet gentle force, spreading its presence everywhere.

The refined mana slowly changed to three different types of mana: nature, wind and water. Each with different characteristics. Nature-type mana overflowed with the vitality of nature seemingly declaring that it will always and forever be itself in the endless expanse of reality. The feeling is very soothing, almost lulling anyone to sleep.

Wind-type mana swirled with gale force. Formless yet strong. Forever free and can never be contained. The sky is its domain and the power of the winds strong and weak will always be there. Always present. Always free and unrestrained.

Water-type mana was much more reserved yet hidden underneath was a strong power. It can be yielding and fierce depending on the will. Its nature is neither good or bad. It is what it is.

The mana of an Arch Knight is quite exquisite. This Aura Essence also contained somw of the profound truths and mysteries of nature, wind and water.

It is an amazing display of Aura Essence. It will be enough to instill weakness on the weaker mana manipulators despite it being a common divine art received at the Senior Warrior and Senior Magus rank.

"Why do you want me to activate my Aura Essence?" (Kiralne)

Kiralne still asked me this. Of course I want to see what an Aura Essence of an Arch Level mana manipulator would look like and I must say that it met with my expectations. I'm pretty satisfied with this already but its time for the real thing.

"To show you who is superior." (Krey)

I smirked and also prepared to activate my own Aura Essence. This time... with all elements.

Author Note: Yo! Sorry for being late~ Exams coming up and I'm panicking, cramming all sorta stuff into my head. Teehee~ Well the next chapter will come out on Tuesday next week! This is the 20th chapter~ Hope you enjoyed it~! :)