After a few more protests, Louise finally headed downstairs with a light step.
She wore a light gray jacket, and her long silver-gray hair had been tied into a low ponytail by Chen Mian. Her aura had returned to its usual lazy demeanor, though the faint blush on her ears had not yet fully faded.
At the moment, she was looking at the wine in her glass with great interest. "The mana contained in this wine is very strong and pure," she remarked with some surprise. "It even has a slight effect on me... but I’ve already recovered to Level 120. Theoretically, it should be impossible for me to improve any further."
"Level 120 is merely a shackle this world places on its people. It isn't the true limit for mana levels," Chen Mian said earnestly, resting his chin on one hand as he sat across from her.
"Hmm. A long time ago, I researched the possibility of breaking past Level 120, but I never found any results." Louise set down her wine glass, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim as her gaze settled on Chen Mian's face. "Records from ancient dungeons suggest that gods existed on the Continent of Cecia long ago. Not the Mythic Rank creatures people worship as gods today, but true deities bound to the World Rules. However, they suddenly vanished at some point. There's a blank period in history, as if someone took a pair of scissors and cut that moment right out."
"Back then, I tried many methods—refining and fusing different systems of mana, using life magic to modify my own body. In the end, my mana didn't grow any further, but I did manage to turn myself into an immortal being." Louise looked up, a hint of self-deprecation in her smile. "But how did you break past Level 120? I don't think you're just at the Mythic Rank. No matter how strong a Mythic Rank is, they shouldn't be completely unfathomable to me."
"Yeah, I'm not Mythic Rank." Chen Mian nodded. He had no intention of hiding the truth from those close to him. "But the breakthrough was very sudden. It wasn't because I found a method on my own."
"Then what did you rely on?"
"Something I still don't fully understand myself. The vegetable garden, the workshops, and everything else are derived from it."
Louise picked up the wine glass, took another small sip, and then set it back down. "...Are there any side effects for you?"
"None." Chen Mian saw the seriousness in her expression and shook his head with a smile. "At least not so far. I just don't know where it came from."
Louise watched his expression and let out a soft sigh, leaning back against her chair. "...That's good, then."
"Were you worried about me?"
"What else?" Louise looked up at him, her purple-gold eyes meeting his without wavering. "You used to be so reckless during your adventures. You never knew how to take care of yourself. If I hadn't been there watching over you several times..."
"Louise, I won't be like I was before," Chen Mian replied softly, slightly stunned by her words.
"Well, you're stronger than me now anyway. Since you say you're fine, I won't ask anymore. But if anything strange happens with that thing, don't keep it from me." Louise looked into his eyes and said seriously, "Understand?"
"Got it."
"That's more like it." With that, Louise stood up and walked to the kitchen door. She looked back and asked, "Do you still want fish soup? I'll cook it for you tonight."
"I'll pass."
"No! I'm trading the compensation you owe me for this. I must get rid of your stereotype that my cooking tastes bad!" When Louise said this, a rare look of determination appeared in her purple-gold eyes. "In the past, I only made it taste bad on purpose because I wanted to eat the food you cooked."
"Huh? Really?" Chen Mian looked at her in surprise.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to regret them. She turned her head slightly, her ears turning red at a visible speed as she hurried into the kitchen. "Not really!"
Soon, the sound of water splashing from washing dishes came from the kitchen.
"Louise, I'm going to go check on Flora and the others."
"You don't have to tell me every time." The sound of dishwashing paused for a moment, followed by Louise's slightly cheerful reply. "Also, Chen Mian, I think washing dishes is too boring. I'm going to create a magic device that can wash them automatically."
"Okay~ I believe you can definitely make one, Louise," Chen Mian replied with a light laugh.
"Of course."
By the time Chen Mian stepped out of the apartment, the sun was high in the sky. In Hella's winter, even a bright sun didn't feel scorching; instead, it added a pleasant layer of warmth.
Under the shade of the trees in the distance, Loviki and Flora's sparring session had been going on for a while. Velyan sat by the fishery, watching with interest, though she now held a fishing rod in her hand.
Just as Chen Mian approached, she jerked the rod upward. A large red fish burst out of the water. She skillfully unhooked it and placed it in a bucket, then shouted excitedly toward the two who were still sparring, "Flora! I caught a red grouper! Can we eat it tonight?"
"Of course we can." A tiny, pure white barrier flickered in front of Flora, perfectly blocking Loviki's attack. With a sweep of her staff, several translucent mirrors made of light-attribute mana locked down the area around Loviki from all directions.
In the next instant, Flora fired a weak beam of light into one of the mirrors. Instantly, the entire space was covered in a dense web of light beams.
Loviki's pupils shrank. The reflected light beams were incredibly fast and coming from tricky angles, almost sealing off all her paths of retreat.
Seeing this, her body instinctively dodged toward the back and side. The rapier in her hand shattered the two nearest mirrors without a moment's hesitation. The moment the light mirrors broke, the reflected beams lost their support and quickly dissipated into faint specks of light.
However, before Loviki could catch her breath, a light-attribute magic circle suddenly appeared beneath her feet. Her vision was instantly filled with pure white, though the light did not cause her any harm.
Seeing this, Loviki slowly sheathed her rapier and let out a soft breath, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Flora, your mana manipulation is much stronger than those people from the Shadow Cult in the Royal Capital."
"The elves have many techniques for mana usage; I'm just putting them into practice," Flora said, shaking her head as she retracted her staff. "But you're very strong too, Loviki. You figured out how to break the mirror magic almost instantly."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted past Loviki's shoulder to Chen Mian, who was standing not far away, and a bright smile lit up her face.
Loviki turned to look back, then walked over and lightly pinched Flora's cheek. "You... you've been completely snatched away by Chen Mian!"
Rate on N.U.
