After Glirios left the banquet hall, Reisia approached Leon.

She smiled playfully and whispered, “Everyone’s asking me to introduce you. What will you do?”

Leon glanced over her shoulder. Several personal disciples were watching them with curious eyes.

Leon let out a deep sigh.

The reason he had been reluctant to attend the banquet was because of the factional disputes between the general disciples. He thought these disputes would be even more blatant at the banquet.

However, those who approached Leon merely praised him excessively, avoiding any mention of factional politics, as if they had been explicitly told not to bring it up.

“Leon, you’ve only just arrived, and you’ve already achieved such a remarkable accomplishment,” said Calderick, a handsome man with blue hair who approached Leon.

“It’s not much of an achievement,” Leon replied humbly, and Calderick smiled softly.

“Too much humility might draw criticism from others. Saving fifty personal disciples is indeed an extraordinary feat.”

Leon had already heard similar words from several others, so his reaction was equally restrained. Reisia had mentioned earlier that the conversation at banquets was often repetitive, so there was no need to pay too much attention.

“It’s a shame you won’t be participating in the personal disciple duels. It’s a great opportunity to test each other’s skills,” Calderick said.

“….”

Leon detected a faint hint of rivalry in Calderick’s otherwise soft gaze. It was strange for someone like Calderick, who was typically so adept at handling social situations, to express such emotions so overtly.

During their last meeting, Calderick had shown no such attitude, leaving Leon puzzled as to why he was behaving this way now.

Leon concealed his curiosity and responded as usual.

“Calderick, you are already a mystical-grade mage. How could I possibly compete with you?”

“Haha, if it weren’t for you, I would just be teaching the younger disciples as always. But with you, Leon… I feel things might be different.”

Calderick was the most skilled among the personal disciples, aside from those who were already entering their middle years. Having reached the mystical rank at a young age, he had no rivals in the personal disciple duels.

Of course, it was still strange that he would want to duel Leon, who was known to be only at apprentice level 5.

‘Who would believe that now?’

After witnessing Leon defeat a blood mage, who was at least high-level special magic, no one would believe he was still an apprentice-level mage. Oddly enough, no one had questioned that detail so far.

At that moment, Reisia interjected into the conversation.

“Calderick, I look forward to receiving your valuable guidance again this time.”

Perhaps she sensed Leon’s discomfort.

Calderick shifted his attention to Reisia.

“Yes, of course. It seems it’s time for me to guide you again.”

“I’d be honored.”

“Have you thought about it?”

“…What do you mean?”

Calderick stared at Reisia for a moment before shaking his head. Reisia’s expression didn’t change.

“...It’s nothing. I must have been mistaken.”

 

Before diving into serious training, Leon stopped by Arpina’s research lab.

Arpina had initially planned to finish her research on the harmony between fire and light elements and then move on to her own training. However, she had extended her research at Leon’s suggestion.

Leon occasionally helped with the research, but he didn’t spend as much time on it as Arpina did.

Seeing Arpina buried under a pile of papers made Leon feel an unexpected twinge of guilt.

Today, however, he had come to deliver good news.

In truth, Leon had gained a small insight into the harmony between the light element and other elements. This realization had come after mastering the Genesis Radiance. Learning SSS-grade light magic had undeniably deepened his understanding of the light element.

When using the Genesis Radiance, he could even read the flow of all kinds of magical energy.

After mastering the Genesis Radiance, Leon had tried to combine the light element with other elements on his own.

Yellow strands of light magic, and blue strands of water magic.

The strands of magic differed subtly based on their elemental characteristics.

He had attempted to merge the two, but the light magic resisted violently, rejecting the water.

At that moment, Leon became convinced that the conflict between elements wasn’t just a matter of power but was rooted in their inherent nature.

Light, in its essence, was a complete element.

Its unique characteristics were too strong to blend easily with other elements.

Moreover, the noble nature of light made it difficult to harmonize with the fluid and ever-changing nature of water.

This conflicting nature was akin to two magnets repelling each other.

If Leon advanced further and gained the ability to manipulate the magic strands directly, he could forcibly entwine them. However, relying on luck wouldn’t be useful for research that required a solid theoretical foundation.

Still, being able to observe and explain each individual flow of magic was a promising sign.

Leon had then experimented by combining light and fire, elements he had already successfully merged, while observing the flow of magic strands.

The two elements shared similar properties. As Arpina’s theory suggested, by tempering the inherent qualities of each element and merging them, they could form a cohesive bond that complemented each other’s weaknesses.

Since Arpina’s research focused on limiting the power of the elements to merge them harmoniously, they had to find a point where the elements could combine while tempering their force.

Of course, such experiments could easily result in a large explosion if the elemental power wasn’t handled carefully. However, as long as Leon used the Genesis Radiance, he could foresee any signs of danger and avoid the risk.

It allowed for endless experimentation without significant risk.

Leon explained the results of his solo experiments to Arpina.

Naturally, he left out the specifics about the Genesis Radiance. Arpina was someone who could be trusted to turn a blind eye when needed.

After listening to Leon’s explanation, Arpina’s eyes sparkled.

“If you can control the intensity and observe it directly, then quantifying it should be possible.”

By viewing the flow of magic as a numerical value and calculating it through certain variables, they could measure and adjust the power of each element.

Leon and Arpina stayed up through the night discussing their experiments, until a knock on the lab door interrupted them.

“Come in.”

Arpina’s voice was soft, tinged with exhaustion.

The person who entered was a general disciple responsible for managing the building. He spoke with a slightly nervous expression.

“The Imperial Council has arrived.”

“Ah, today was the day they were supposed to come, wasn’t it?”

Arpina answered nonchalantly, getting up from her seat as she turned to Leon.

“The mages from the Council have likely been sent to investigate the events in the Valley of Souls.”

The general disciple glanced at Leon before leaning closer to Arpina and whispering something into her ear. Arpina’s eyes widened in shock.

“What? He came here himself?”

Leon rarely saw Arpina react so dramatically. If she was showing such a strong response, there had to be a good reason for it.

Leon also stood up slowly.

“What’s going on?”

“Uh… it might be better for you to stay here…”

Arpina’s serious tone faltered as she hesitated for a moment, before changing her mind.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter if you come… but…”

“Please explain what’s going on first.”

Seeing her flustered expression, Leon’s face grew tense as well. Arpina sighed before answering.

“A transcendent mage came as part of the investigation team.”

“A… transcendent mage?”

Leon couldn’t hide his surprise at this unexpected revelation.

There were only twenty transcendent mages in the entire empire, and one of them had suddenly appeared here. The level of power held by a transcendent mage was incomprehensible for Leon, an existence far beyond his current abilities.

“It seems they’ve taken a personal interest due to the involvement of blood magic.”

“…I’ll wait here then.”

Although Leon hadn’t done anything wrong, he knew that a transcendent mage would see right through his power and rank at a glance.

Not knowing how they might react, he felt reluctant to approach.

“Oh, don’t worry too much. I know him, so…”

Just as Arpina was trying to calm Leon down with a now composed tone, a deep voice called out from outside the lab.

“Arpina.”

Both Arpina and Leon turned their gazes toward the door.

“What are you doing in there? Come out.”

Standing at the door was a towering man with neatly slicked-back red hair. Although his face bore the marks of age, the sharp intensity radiating from his brown eyes was anything but diminished.

When his gaze fell on Leon, Leon felt his heart drop as if it had been seized by an invisible hand.

“Hm?”

With that short hum, Leon’s consciousness rapidly began to blur.

In an instant, his awareness slipped away, as though he was being pulled into an endless abyss, his vision darkening until he found himself standing alone before an enormous, sun-like eye.

The eye didn’t move. It simply watched him. As soon as Leon met its gaze, his entire body froze, and he couldn’t even draw a breath.

He felt an overwhelming pressure, as though he were being observed from the palm of someone’s hand.

“...!”

Leon struggled with all his might to resist the strange sensation that threatened to cloud his mind.

But then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

When Leon opened his eyes again, he was back in Arpina’s lab.

“Hah…!”

He gasped, his breath coming out in ragged pants.

His voice echoed through the room.

“Interesting,” the man said.