Hans’s body swelled up like an inflating balloon.

His neck grew longer, and his hands transformed into forelegs.

But more striking than anything else was the shimmering white fur infused with a bluish aura covering his entire body—it was exactly the same as the Spirit Beast Ludger had seen in the forest.

His swelling body mass quickly surpassed that of the werebear from before.

Crack.

From both sides of Hans’s forehead burst forth golden antlers.

The Owens executives stared at the sight in a mix of shock and awe.

Before they knew it, Hans had transformed into a towering white deer, standing over five meters tall.

Compared to the Spirit Beast Ludger had seen in the Kassar Basin, Hans was still smaller, and his antlers were far more modest.

But even so—he was a Spirit Beast now.

A being rarely seen by anyone, under any circumstance.

‘The bear tooth left him in a half-human, half-beast state. But the Spirit Beast’s tooth—this is almost a pure beast.’

It had been the same with the Jévaudan cryptid.

Rather than a hybrid form, it leaned heavily toward one extreme.

While Hans had retained more humanity than the Jévaudan cryptid did, it was still relative.

The Spirit Beast’s tooth produced the same effect.

Looking at Hans—now nearly indistinguishable from the creature he’d seen in the forest—Ludger formed a hypothesis.

‘The more powerful the creature, the more complete the beast transformation becomes.’

The Jévaudan cryptid, the Spirit Beast of Kassar Basin...

Considering the nature of both, the conclusion made sense.

But the more important thing now was Hans’s current condition.

“Hans. Can you hear me?”

Ludger carefully observed the transformed Hans, all while discreetly channeling mana.

When Hans had turned into the Jévaudan cryptid, he’d completely lost control, unable to distinguish friend from foe as he rampaged.

Reason had been consumed by wild instinct.

If the same happened here—where Hans had fully turned into a Spirit Beast—it could be just as dangerous.

Swish.

The deer-like Hans slowly turned his gaze toward Ludger at the sound of his voice.

From his eyes glowed a faint blue light, like a winter dawn breeze.

That slow gaze swept past Ludger and over the rest of the party, light as a breeze.

The members of Owens all tensed.

If he lost control and started rampaging here, the damage would be catastrophic.

In hindsight, they should’ve done this test in that half-collapsed underground arena instead.

Just as everyone was holding their breath, Hans suddenly looked down at himself and—

[AAAH! What the hell is this?!]

—jumped up with a loud yelp.

Thud.

His golden antlers rammed straight through the high ceiling above.

The resulting debris rained down on his head, and as Hans tried to dodge sideways, his legs tangled—and he collapsed.

BOOM—!

“......”

“......”

“......”

The scene was so absurd that it left everyone speechless.

The intense tension that had gripped the room vanished in the most anticlimactic way imaginable.

Hans struggled to get back on his feet, but moving on four legs—when he was used to two—was proving too much.

Like a newborn fawn, his legs trembled and buckled repeatedly, and he kept falling over.

To the others, it was just... pitiful.

“Hans. Just stay still like that.”

Trying to stand up again would only make things worse for everyone nearby.

Hans, understanding that himself, gave a dejected nod while lying flat.

[Got it...]

“So, how does your body feel?”

[What do you mean? It feels extremely weird already. My body’s completely different than usual.]

Until now, even when Hans transformed into beasts, he retained some degree of human shape.

But the Spirit Beast form was something else entirely.

Not just a beast—a deer.

He had to stand on four legs, his neck was long, and there were antlers on his head.

Trying to move in that state must’ve felt completely alien, something no human body could easily adapt to.

‘He moved fine when he became the Jévaudan cryptid... I suppose that was pure instinct driving him.’

Being able to maintain reason while transformed was an advantage—but it came with major drawbacks too.

“You’ll get used to the sensation after a few more shifts. What matters is something else. Hans, can you manipulate mana?”

[Mana, huh...]

“You used something like it a moment ago, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

[I’ll give it a try.]

Muttering to himself, Hans focused.

He had spent his whole life never knowing anything about mana—but just earlier, when transformed into the bear, he had been able to use it instinctively.

It was like a primal instinct buried deep within his genes.

So now, as a Spirit Beast, if he wanted to use it—it should be possible.

From between the tufts of his white, mane-like fur, a faint, bluish magical aura began to rise.

“Ooh...”

Bellaruna’s eyes sparkled as she observed the sight.

Her twitching fingers made it clear—she was itching to find out exactly how it worked.

Of course, in her case, “finding out” probably meant dissection.

Ludger, who was watching the mana, gave another instruction.

“Can you reshape it into another form?”

[Feels like I can... give me a second.]

Hans furrowed his brow and tensed his body.

The mana that had been swirling around him gathered into one place, slowly forming into a large orb.

“Hooh.”

Ludger’s eyes gleamed at the sight.

It was the same kind of pure mana orb the Spirit Beast had used in the Kassar Basin.

Of course, in both size and number, it didn’t compare to the original.

He wanted to test its destructive power too—but this wasn’t the place for that.

“How does it feel?”

[How do I put this...? Even clearer than when I became that rocky bear earlier.]

Hans rolled his glowing eyes around, scanning his «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» surroundings.

Transformed into the body of a Spirit Beast, he now saw the world in a way no human ever could.

The mana in the air...

He could see it—faintly, but clearly enough to be amazed.

Ludger approached Hans.

He reached up and tapped the golden antlers sprouting from Hans’s head.

“Can you feel that?”

[I can. And I’m pretty sure these aren’t just any old antlers.]

“How do you know?”

[I can just feel it. Like instinct. When I manipulate mana, it flows naturally through these antlers.]

“So the antlers help you handle mana more easily... Like a magic staff for a wizard. That’s a bit disappointing.”

[...What’s disappointing?]

“Just... if the antlers grow every time you transform, I was thinking of cutting some off to use.”

Hans broke into a cold sweat at that.

Ludger continued to ask a number of other questions, and Hans did his best to answer them all.

And in the end—it was clear.

Using the Spirit Beast’s tooth had been an excellent decision.

‘He’s completely transformed into a beast, but retained his reason. That’s an incredibly powerful asset.’

Granted, Hans’s power was significantly diminished compared to the original Spirit Beast the tooth came from.

But that was only because the original was so absurdly strong—it didn’t mean Hans was weak.

‘Well... it’s not something we can show off in public. But having a trump card for emergencies is always welcome.’

That didn’t mean Hans would be thrown into every future battle either.

Phantos and Alex were more than enough to lead from the front.

Still, the world was full of unpredictable situations—and the Spirit Beast’s tooth gave them one more card to play.

Just as Ludger was thinking it might be time to administer the suppressant—

Ludger, Phantos, and Alex all turned their heads at the same time.

[W-What is it?]

Hans, whose senses were heightened in Spirit Beast form, also began to tremble.

An unfamiliar sensation was coursing through his entire body.

“...Damn.”

As Ludger uttered those words—

A single drop of blood fell from the high ceiling of the building and landed on the floor with a soft plop.

It was only one drop, but the moment it touched the ground, it spread wide, transforming into a pool of blood.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward it.

Bubbles surfaced in the pool, squirming, before it surged upward with a shhhhk sound.

From within it, someone emerged.

A blonde girl dressed in a bright crimson gothic lolita dress.

As she rose from the puddle, she slowly opened her previously shut eyes.

The pool of blood at her feet naturally absorbed into her body.

Her eyes, red like rubies, curved mischievously, and her lips curled up to reveal sharp fangs.

“What fun conversation were you all having without me?”

“...Master.”

Ludger let out a small, troubled sigh.

So she had decided to move in person.

If Grander had personally made an appearance, it meant she was not in a good mood.

Could it be that she was upset because they returned from the Kassar Basin and didn’t report to her?

Knowing Grander, it was very possible. She was a vampire with a temperament as unpredictable as a wild beast.

Usually, in situations like this, it was the disciple’s role—Ludger’s—to endure her whims and temper.

But contrary to expectations, Grander didn’t glare at Ludger.

Her gaze, filled with curiosity, was directed at none other than Hans—currently transformed into a giant white deer.

“You’ve brought something interesting again.”

With light, skipping steps, Grander approached Hans.

From appearances alone, it wouldn’t be strange for Hans to swallow her whole in a single bite.

But in reality, the essence and power they held were the complete opposite.

Even though Hans had been strengthened by the power of the Spirit Beast, in front of Grander, he could only feel endlessly small.

If anything, because he now possessed the eyes of a Spirit Beast, Hans could perceive the monstrous depth of her power more vividly.

Grander gently stroked Hans’s snow-white fur with her small, delicate hand.

Each time she did, Hans’s fur stood on end.

“This is a Spirit Beast. I had thought you were of an unusual constitution... so you were even able to transform using something like this.”

She muttered that to herself, then let out a sly grin.

“I’ve always wanted to own a Spirit Beast pelt, you know.”

[Gasp!]

Hans flinched violently, looking as if he might roll his eyes back and faint at any moment.

Grander looked at him and casually threw out—

“Just kidding.”

...Was she, though?

Even if it was only for a brief moment, the gleam in her eyes when she spoke of owning the pelt had been completely sincere.

It wouldn’t have surprised anyone here if she started skinning Hans right this instant—and the Owens executives knew full well that this was within her character.

In the end, Ludger had no choice but to step in.

“Master. What brings you here?”

“What brings me here? Does a master need a reason to visit this place?”

“That’s not what I meant...”

“No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t expect anything from a disciple who’s so busy I can barely see his face, and who goes through all sorts of interesting things in far-off lands without sparing a word to his master. Yes, when one gets old, I suppose she’s meant to lock herself away in her room and rot.”

“......”

...She’s sulking. Definitely sulking.

The only relief was that Grander, who would usually throw a tantrum in such situations, was relatively calm thanks to Hans.

She was clearly annoyed—but more than that, her curiosity over Hans’s transformation into a Spirit Beast had been piqued.

[Boss?]

Right?

Perhaps because his senses had become sharper in his Spirit Beast form, Hans instinctively cast Ludger a desperate glance.

But Ludger turned away from Hans’s gaze and continued speaking to Grander.

“Master. As you can see, Hans has only just transformed into a Spirit Beast, and we’re in the process of confirming the nature of his condition.”

“I know that. Do you think I wouldn’t? Don’t worry—I won’t break him.”

Break him?!

Hans’s pupils trembled violently. But he didn’t dare ask her directly.

Because she was just that terrifying.

“You should be grateful instead. I’m offering to participate in the research personally.”

Though it may have sounded arrogant, Ludger accepted it without resistance.

Whatever else could be said, if Grander herself was taking part in research, then the results were guaranteed to be worthwhile.

She held a high status, and her knowledge of magic was as vast as the depths of the sea. Who would dare question her?

“Understood, Master.”

“So then, dear disciple. Where, and how exactly, did you obtain the Spirit Beast’s tooth?”

That had clearly been what brought her here in the first place, and she wasted no time getting to it.

Ludger, who had been planning to explain eventually anyway, suddenly recalled the attribute-less mana he had discovered in the Kassar Basin.

There were questions he wanted to ask too—so it worked out perfectly.

“All of you, return to your posts for now. I need to speak privately with my master.”

At Ludger’s instruction, the Owens executives nodded and stepped away.

Even they couldn’t help feeling uneasy in Grander's presence.

Grander watched them as they left.

Her gaze lingered particularly long on Phantos.

“That one. He’s improved.”

“Who? You mean Phantos?”

“Yes.”

“He’s recently had an experience that helped him grow.”

“Not a bad bit of progress. He used to be a brat with nothing but raw strength, but now he’s grown a bit more mature. Though, he’s still wet behind the ears.”

Who else on the continent could call Phantos “wet behind the ears”?

Still, Ludger took the words as a compliment.

Getting Grander to acknowledge someone as “mature” was no easy feat.

“So then, dear disciple. You sent your subordinates away. Do you have something you want to ask me?”

[Actually, I do too.]

Hans cautiously raised his voice—but Grander didn’t so much as pretend to listen.

Leaving the dejected Hans behind, Ludger asked Grander his question.

“Master. Do you know anything about a peculiar type of mana that’s said to have existed since ancient times?”

* * *

Aileen walked through the streets of Lederbelk, accompanied by Passius.

They were strolling through what was now the most famous part of the city—

Royal Street.

What was once a district full of abandoned factories and destitute slums had become an indispensable source of vitality for the city.

“At this rate, it could rival the capital.”

“Hard to disagree with that.”

Passius gave a mild reply, all the while mentally reviewing his earlier sparring session with Phantos.

Aileen, aware of his mood, chose not to tease him.

“...Your Highness.”

Just then, Passius's face stiffened sharply.

Aileen also stopped walking, recognizing the signal.

For Passius to issue such a warning meant someone nearby was targeting them.

She casually reached into her coat toward a hidden signal device.

At that moment, a figure stepped out of nowhere and revealed themselves.

“My, my. Isn’t it a bit reckless for someone like you to walk around here without proper escort?”

The voice was slick, unfitting for his rough demeanor and massive frame.

Recognizing him, both Passius and Aileen widened their eyes.

“Captain Lutus?!”

Lutus Wardot.

The man hailed as not only the Empire’s strongest swordsman—but the greatest on the entire continent—had come to meet them.