It had been two weeks since Rowan returned to Widia.

That day, after escaping from the lair and making it to the surface, they were protected by Rowan’s master and returned to Widia on a newly arrived skyship.

Rowan spoke to his master, Meln.

He pleaded with Meln to save the boy who hadn’t returned from the lair. He explained that the boy had drawn the monsters' attention away from them and disappeared.

Meln acknowledged this and informed the party still inside the lair using a communication orb.

After that, there was nothing more Rowan could do.

It frustrated him greatly.

The only thing he could do was ask his master to rescue his comrade.

Rowan had known from a young age that he was gifted in magic.

He was stronger than his peers, and it was natural for him to be admired by those around him.

So, when Ria appeared, he resented her for taking away the attention that had always been his.

What mattered wasn’t just strength, but the attention and recognition that came with it.

However, Rowan had now realized the true importance of power.

It wasn’t about gaining followers, admiration, or superiority over others.

It was about being able to protect those you care about and shouldering the risks.

That was what power truly meant.

When Rowan and the academy's apprentice mages returned to Widia, they kept their word.

They used their connections to propose commemorating the one who had sacrificed himself for them.

The response to their proposal was ambiguous.

It wasn’t dismissive.

But something more important had arisen.

In Widia, cleaning up after Berford, who had unilaterally violated the Mage Tower Treaty with the Kingdom of Basprion by exploring the ruins, took priority.

Protal School had won first place in the recent exchange competition, so according to the agreement, they should have had priority in exploring the lair of the ancient mage.

Other schools could only participate 15 days later.

But Widia had broken that promise, citing flimsy justifications.

As a result, the exploration of the ruins became a chaotic mess.

Other schools, following Widia’s example, began their explorations at will.

It was natural for Widia to be in turmoil.

Even Laidra had temporarily halted his seclusion and emerged. Although there was dissatisfaction with the tower leader who came out only after the situation had escalated, there was no one in Widia at the time who could voice such criticisms.

The chaotic atmosphere only began to calm down when news arrived that Berford had been expelled from the lair.

All the Mage Towers had been driven out, leaving only the Witch of Destruction there.

Though it was an anticlimactic outcome, some saw it as a relief.

At least there had been no major conflict between the Mage Towers.

However, Widia would undoubtedly have to pay the price for breaking their agreement.

And it was around that time that the proposals from the private disciples and academy students were accepted.

“A statue?”

Gael looked perplexed at his disciple Felix's suggestion.

In front of him were not only Felix but also other private disciples.

Since their masters had just returned to Widia, the high-ranking mages present to hear their proposals were two: Gael and Meln.

Meln nodded in agreement.

"Let's do that."

“But...”

“Imagine if your disciple had died in that lair.”

“Hmm...”

Gael recalled the moment he first discovered that brilliant gem of a disciple. His hesitation began to waver.

“I’ll speak with Laidra about it.”

"Ugh..."

Leon, who had teleported to the entrance of the Herb Mountain, finally bit his lip as he felt the pain in his left arm.

His skin was severely burned, with blisters and parts of his skin peeled off.

Even though he hadn’t applied any force, his muscles were stiff and contracted, and Leon poured basic healing magic onto his hardened arm.

Although it improved slightly, it didn’t heal entirely.

It seemed like it would take a long time to fully recover, or he would need high-level healing magic. But high-level healing magic was of the light attribute, so he couldn’t expect much from that.

‘At least the pain is manageable.’

Holding his arm, Leon began walking deeper into the Herb Mountain.

There were guards posted near the entrance.

He needed to hide until the guards became negligent, then slip out of the Herb Mountain unnoticed.

Leon, who had previously worked here, knew the best times to sneak out when the guards were distracted.

‘It would make more sense if I had ended up farther away from Widia and found my way back...’

Even if he had been caught in a teleportation magic circle, landing in Widia's Herb Mountain would be suspicious.

‘Since the lair itself is close to Widia, a week should be enough.’

With the nourishing fruit he had, he could hide for that long. The mana stones managing the area made it a good place for training as long as he avoided the patrols.

Leon found a secluded spot deep within the Herb Mountain and entered the orb.

Inside the orb, the giant golem lay on the ground, fallen.

Leon pulled the wooden sword from the golem's leg, climbed onto its back, and carefully extracted the core.

The golem’s skin was too damaged to regenerate.

‘It seems unusable in this state...’

If it could be used, it would be a powerful asset, but for now, it seemed impossible to deploy.

Leon recalled the golem's design.

Even though it was just a blank slate, there must have been some magical procedures involved.

‘I wonder if the design for Gigantes is included.’

Since he planned to spend the next three months in the training room, he could study it thoroughly at his own pace.

However, golem creation wasn’t as simple as herbal medicine crafting; it would take time.

‘Speaking of which, when will Kito finish exploring?’

She hadn’t left the orb in years, so it must have been at least five years inside.

‘Is the orb really that vast?’

Looking around, Leon stashed the wooden sword in his subspace and left the orb.

After hiding in the mountain for a week to stabilize his energy, Leon sneaked out of the mountain at midnight and made his way to Widia’s main gate.

He didn’t bother hiding his disheveled appearance.

He used the Bracelet of Vima to lower his energy level to that of a first-tier apprentice.

The guard, who was on night duty at the gate, widened his eyes when he saw Leon.

“Huh?”

The guard scrutinized Leon for a moment before speaking in a puzzled tone.

“Leon?”

It wasn’t surprising that the guard recognized Leon.

As a fellow common disciple, the guard had completed his one-year training period and was now working night shifts.

Leon, clutching his burned arm, limped toward him.

“You’re alive?”

“Luckily, I survived. I even ran into Berford…”

“Berford hasn’t returned yet... Oh...”

The guard seemed confused, as if he hadn’t expected Leon to return alive.

Leon was puzzled.

He hadn’t expected Berford to not have returned yet.

After tilting his head, Leon spoke up.

“I’m exhausted after making my way here. Can I rest somewhere?”

“Oh, sure... come in.”

As Leon limped inside, the guard suddenly called out, as if he had just remembered something.

“Th-thank you! You saved my life. I’ll tell everyone. They’ll all be so happy to hear you’re back!”

“Ah... okay.”

Leon awkwardly responded and returned to his private room.

He wasn’t surprised by the guard's reaction.

He had dragged the golem away by himself, so he expected some gratitude.

That’s why he had decided to reveal that he had awakened his mana.

Considering the cold and calculating nature of the mages, especially Forne, who had considered using him as a test subject to find out how he awakened his mana, it had taken a lot of thought for Leon to come to this decision.

‘I felt like I didn’t have enough time for training.’

Given the ruthless personality of Forne, that seemed about right.

However, the reaction seemed more intense than he had expected.

‘Maybe it feels more personal because we were both common disciples.’

The next morning, Leon found himself in a difficult situation.

When Leon, intending to visit Ria and Rowan, tried to leave, his path was blocked.

Leon was bewildered by the sight of the many people gathered in front of his room.

Mavel, who was at the front, extended his hand for a handshake.

“Thank you. Your courage saved many lives.”

“...”

A boy who seemed about Leon's age also approached him, fidgeting with his fingers.

“I thought for sure you were dead... No, I didn’t wish for that... We were planning to hold a memorial... but I’m really glad you came back alive.”

“Who... are you...?”

“Oh, I’m Felix, Gael's disciple...”

And then, someone pushed through the crowd and approached.

A red-haired woman—Rowan.

“Hey!”

She rushed to hug him but hesitated when she noticed the severe burn on his arm.

Relieved, Leon, who had found the embrace overwhelming, was thankful.

“...This happened in the lair, didn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

She bit her lip.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“My leg’s a bit twisted from all the running...”

“Well... As long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters. I’ll find a way to heal the burn somehow. And...”

Rowan hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a resolute expression.

“Thank you... really.”

Leon awkwardly accepted Rowan’s thanks.

It felt strange for both of them—strange for her to say it, and strange for him to receive it.

An awkward silence hung between them.

Feeling the discomfort, Leon asked.

“Where’s Ria?”

“She’s... in another city with her master. She’s on her way here after hearing the news.”

“Does she think I’m dead?”

“The tower passed on the news, but I don’t think they mentioned that.”

Leon breathed a sigh of relief.

If Ria had misunderstood, something overwhelming might have happened.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

As Rowan cautiously asked that question, someone interrupted them.

“Um, the Tower Master wants to see you...”