Rosha received that news while training at the mansion.

“Haaah…”

With each inhalation, mana-infused oxygen entered, and carbon dioxide expelled with each exhalation.

Gathering those mana particles akin to dust, purifying and layering them meticulously within her mana vessel was an immensely arduous process.

Maintaining the appropriate concentration to match the underlying pure mana proved even more challenging.

Yet her perseverance had borne fruit.

‘The 6th stage… I’ve finally reached it.’

With a sense of pride, Rosha examined her internal mana pathways. In addition to the existing ones, she could feel multiple new channels had opened up cleanly.

Mana pathway configurations directly influenced efficiency, necessitating careful construction. Though in her case, opening the pathways took far longer than structuring them.

‘When advancing to the 5th stage, I forced them open too recklessly, causing pain.’

Hence, she had deliberately dedicated an entire day to the process this time.

Having already attained the 6th stage in the past – where spells could be disassembled and reassembled into one’s own – she didn’t find it particularly difficult aside from the sheer mana volume required.

As she focused inwardly with a sense of accomplishment, Cassis’ voice drifted over from nearby.

“When will you be done?”

“I’m busy, don’t disturb me.”

She was currently marveling at the mana vessel’s size required for the 7th stage’s ascension.

But her concentration was short-lived, as a piercing gaze soon bore into the side of her face.

‘…Did I become too absorbed?’

Rosha opened her eyes to find herself in the mansion’s practice yard where she had once trained diligently, a diminutive crack the length of an arm before her, and…

“…What is it?”

With a bewildered expression, she surveyed her surroundings.

Unbeknownst to her, not only Cassis but the knights training in the yard had been furtively glancing her way throughout, even during their drills.

No wonder her face felt rather hot.

“What is it, milady? Who knows what might emerge from that crack – just how long did you intend to sit before it?”

“It’s dangerous, milady. You should withdraw now.”

“Are you still incomplete with that mana training of yours?”

Indeed, the spontaneously manifesting cracks had left a trace even in this secluded corner of the practice yard. Upon noticing it, Rosha had cheerfully decided to seize the opportune moment for mana training, announcing:

-I’ll be doing some mana training here for the time being.

She had then boldly entered the area cordoned off with stakes and sturdy ropes, proceeding with her breathing exercises.

Naturally, the knights couldn’t help but worry about her.

Rifts were openings from which monsters emerged. While this one crack was small, the possibility still existed, which was likely why Cassis remained vigilantly nearby during training sessions.

Moreover…

“Lady Roshanak is… so petite and slender.”

“Just a handful. If a monster exhaled, wouldn’t she get blown right away?”

The knights muttered under their breath, remarking on Rosha’s frail physique.

While her prodigious abilities as a magician were undeniable, without witnessing them firsthand, their concerns were understandable.

Unfortunately, Rosha’s slight build and lack of physical prowess were indisputable facts, prompting her to click her tongue as she addressed Cassis:

“Should we call it a day?”

“Sure. Staying too long would be risky. You’ve been sitting here for five hours already.”

Having indeed attained the 6th stage, today’s mana training could cease. No need to stubbornly persist when everyone was so worried about her.

Sensing a faint tickling in her chest, Rosha rose and distanced herself from the crack.

Witnessing her emerge from the enclosure, the knights breathed sighs of relief. Yet their expressions soon grew perplexed once more.

“Then I should proceed with physical training.”

For Rosha had muttered those words while tying back her hair and adjusting her shoes.

“Eh?”

“You intend to train further, milady?”

“Of course. Mana training differs from running the practice yard.”

While the knights remained silent, their looks conveyed evident concerns about her overdoing it – concerns shared by Marian, who had approached from nearby.

“Lady, why don’t you simply walk today instead of running?”

Well, this was an unexpected reaction compared to before, when she would praise Rosha for exceeding her targets through diligent effort.

Yet given their collective apprehension, she opted to walk the practice yard’s perimeter at a brisk pace, prompting words of praise from each knight she passed.

At this rate, they would commend her merely for breathing.

Amidst her wry amusement at their reactions, a sudden realization struck her:

‘I suppose I have been living quite dynamically lately.’

Twice she had lapsed into unconsciousness for several days, one instance even rendering her temporarily blind. Then, becoming a target forced her to flee somewhere before returning severely ill with a cold.

Certainly a colorful resume worthy of concern, even from herself.

As she circled the practice yard, her gaze fell upon Marian overseeing some sparring sessions – appearing perfectly unruffled despite her daring act of brandishing a sword at the Emperor.

‘…For a capital criminal, she seems unnervingly at ease.’

While unvoiced, Rosha wondered if some past incident from Marian’s tenure as the imperial guard captain granted her a degree of immunity.

Without at least a single ‘get out of jail free’ card, such nonchalance seemed implausible.

It was at that moment.

“Make way!”

Accompanied by a coachman’s booming voice, a carriage tore through the gates at nearly breakneck speed.

Spotting Duke Feriel’s family crest emblazoned on the carriage door, Rosha exchanged glances with Cassis.

“Isn’t that old man’s carriage?”

“It would seem so.”

What in the world was happening?

* * *

“Marquis Lycaon has fled.”

Those were the first words Duke Feriel uttered upon seeing Rosha enter the reception room amidst his conversation with Cedric.

Without even inquiring after her well-being, he rapidly continued, forgoing his usual favored cookies:

“Well, we did deal him some political blows, but to respond by packing up and fleeing under cover of night rather than counterattacking – he hasn’t a shred of dignity left.”

“What sort of blows did you deal him?”

Truth be told, Rosha had entrusted the political maneuverings to Froy and Duke Feriel, so she wasn’t fully aware of the developments.

With such formidable collaborators already involved, she lacked any particular desire to directly intervene herself.

“Nothing too severe. We simply disparaged the Lycaon Marquisate for shying away from the limelight despite being an established magician family, exposed their tax evasion and illegal activities, and raised suspicions of attempted murder against the heir, Geoffrey Lycaon.”

“Suspicions of attempted murder? How did you substantiate those?”

“Duke Echerzen procured a handwritten letter from the supposedly deceased Heres Lycaon. How he obtained it is quite enigmatic, as the man certainly has his mysteries.”

“I see…”

“Ah, and we also revealed the existence of an ‘Necklace of Suggestion’ relic – that likely dealt the heaviest blow.”

The Necklace of Suggestion was an ancient relic capable of ensnaring targets with suggestive magic, manipulating them in the desired manner.

Naturally, upon learning of its existence, doubt and revulsion would arise over potentially having been entranced oneself.

‘…This would make any recovery exceedingly difficult, wouldn’t it?’

Despite her initial query, it seemed they had practically delivered a fatal strike.

Which was likely why Marquis Lycaon had fled, taking all vital possessions while accompanied by Geoffrey and a few close associates.

Leaving the basement door open during their escape was undoubtedly deliberate – exposing the colossal rift as a form of retaliation, implying his family had silently obstructed such threats all along.

Of course, the Marquis himself was unaware that the rift itself was the true objective for certain individuals!

“So what happens now? I don’t know if this was the situation you desired, but politically, we’ve brought them down.”

Duke Feriel turned his gaze towards Rosha. In truth, her motivation was singular:

‘Let’s see if that is indeed the oldest rift.’

While the timing was sooner than anticipated, the Marquis’s flight presented an ideal opportunity.

Perceiving her thoughts, Duke Feriel nodded in agreement.

“Good. If that’s the case, now is the perfect time.”

“Yes.”

“However, to avoid interference, you’ll need to act swiftly. People are already gathering in droves around that area.”