[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 52

    ‘......?’

    A warning?

    “Myorn, have you seen this character before?”

    “No, I haven’t. What is it?”

    Though Kaylen asked on the off chance, Myorn’s expression clearly indicated she had no idea either.

    ‘I’ll have to ask the guild branch leader later.’

    Unable to find any answers for now, Kaylen decided to set the issue aside.

    “Alkas, we’ll camp here tonight. Tell the driver to guard the carriage.”

    “Understood.”

    With that command, Kaylen shifted his gaze to Myorn.

    “Myorn, do you feel a change in the ambient mana?”

    “Yes. Such an abundance of mana...”

    “Tonight, we’ll conduct spirit training here.”

    “...Here? How exactly?”

    “You’ll see once we start. You should brace yourself.”

    “...My lord, that place has been left as is for quite some time. Are you sure it’s safe?”

    At the mountain’s peak where the dungeon had disappeared, Alkas glanced nervously between Kaylen and the summit.

    “It’s still fine,” Kaylen replied without a flicker of concern.

    At the center of the summit stood Myorn, encased in a massive block of ice, resembling a prisoner trapped in an ice prison.

    However, the ice wasn’t as intact as before—inside, it was gradually melting, and water was slowly accumulating.

    “To train mana in an extreme state caused by opposing elements... I see, this is possible too.”

    “Exactly. And to facilitate it, we shattered the dungeon core and froze her in this moment.”

    The method Kaylen had devised was simple:

    Freeze Myorn.

    And within the ice, she would draw out the fire mana within her.

    “To be honest, I’m not fond of training in extreme conditions.

    It usually has a high failure rate.”

    “Is that so?”

    “Yes. Progressing through moments of crisis carries a significant risk.

    It’s far better to train consistently in optimal conditions without such risks.”

    Hearing this, Alkas recalled the Sword of Training Kaylen had given him.

    Indeed, the weapon emphasized steady, daily practice in the best possible condition, rather than being pushed to the brink.

    If one’s condition was poor, the sword itself would adjust its speed and intensity to match the trainee’s capacity.

    “But Myorn, being the Dwarf Queen, is a unique case.

    She has an excessive amount of dormant fire mana within her, so extreme pressure is necessary to awaken it.”

    “Ah, I see.”

    “Ordinarily, she would have enough mana to summon high-tier spirits.

    But because the ambient mana in the world has dwindled, she’s only been able to summon mid-tier spirits until now.”

    Upon closely examining Myorn for her fire mana training, Kaylen discovered something remarkable:

    Her body held far more mana than expected.

    This amount was sufficient to summon high-tier spirits with ease—had it been 700 years ago.

    However, due to the changes in the world, she had been unable to summon high-tier spirits, and her body had never felt the need to expend its latent magical energy.

    “To draw out the dormant fire mana within her, we have to artificially create a state of crisis.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    As the ice melts, it seems the fire mana is slowly awakening.”

    At those words, Alkas asked, his voice tinged with anticipation:

    “Do you think... I might have dormant mana sleeping within me too?”

    “That’s possible for Myorn because she’s the Dwarf Queen. Humans? Don’t even bother. If you have any, it’s barely worth mentioning.”

    “Ah... yes, I understand.”

    “But there’s another benefit to this method,” Kaylen said, gesturing towards Myorn.

    “Doesn’t her fur look a bit thicker now?”

    “Ah, you’re right. It looks denser and fuller than before. Almost overwhelming, really.”

    “As the Dwarf Queen, she also handles earth spirits. By freezing her, I’m not only awakening her fire mana but also nourishing the earth mana within her.”

    Alkas infused his eyes with mana, observing Myorn’s body trapped in the ice.

    Inside, he noticed faint ripples of water energy moving.

    The flow of energy around her body was continuously being absorbed into her fur.

    “Ah, so that’s why you’ve been running the guardian function constantly, even after freezing her.”

    “Exactly. To eventually reduce the fur, paradoxically, we first need to make it grow even more.”

    The fur of the Dwarf Queen, which grew to support her fire mana training, drew its strength from the earth’s mana.

    "Seriously? You’re still into this?" she muttered, incredulous.

    "Yes... I am..."

    "What about now? Even now?"

    "Y-yes... even now..."

    Even as she flipped her lips and made a pig snout, Alkas nodded like he was under a spell.

    Watching this unfold, Kaylen sighed deeply.

    "Myorn, could you just cover your face again? If you go around with only your face showing like that, things are going to get quite troublesome. Look at him—he’s already like this."

    Myorn nodded in agreement, realizing the truth of his words.

    Even Alkas, who seemed deeply loyal, was acting this way. How would other humans react?

    It was amusing to see them dazed for a moment, but the hassle wasn’t worth it.

    Considering she could only reveal her face while the rest remained covered in fur, Myorn decided it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

    "I guess I’ll do that."

    Shrrrrrr.

    The goddess-like face was quickly covered by fur once more.

    "Ah...! Why..."

    Alkas let out a disappointed groan, but Myorn soon returned to her furball state.

    Shaking her fur-covered body, she spoke in a refreshed tone.

    "Yeah, this feels more comfortable."

    "That’s... comfortable for you?" Kaylen asked, incredulous.

    "Of course. My fur acts like extra limbs under my control. Imagine living with dozens of hands and then suddenly being reduced to just two like a human. It’d feel stifling, wouldn’t it?"

    Indeed, Myorn’s fur had proven to be incredibly functional.

    "It’ll be a shame if you completely free yourself from the restraints of the fur once your fire spirit powers grow stronger," Alkas commented wistfully.

    "Why?"

    "Because you’d have to live entirely in human form."

    Myorn tilted her head in confusion.

    "What? Is that how it works? No more fur once I’m free?"

    "I believe that was the case with Lady Kaina," Alkas replied.

    "That’s odd. I remember Lady Kaina being like this most of the time..."

    "...Really?"

    Kaylen blinked, perplexed. That didn’t align with his understanding.

    "Yeah. She used to say this form was more comfortable, and that she liked not having to pretend."

    "Ah, right. You inherited the records of the Great Sage. From his perspective, that’s likely what he remembered. Lady Kaina always showed her most beautiful side in front of him."

    Oh. So that’s how it was.

    Kaylen smirked wryly.

    Kaina had claimed she loved her human form after burning away all her fur...

    but it seemed she also found her furred state more comfortable after all.

    "Strangely enough, I miss her today," Kaylen muttered to himself.

    ***

    Starn Barony Manor

    A sharp woman’s voice echoed through the estate.

    "Dear, what are you doing here?"

    "I was just admiring this painting," replied a man with a long brown beard—Baron Starn.

    "Admiring paintings at a time like this? When we should be evacuating? Don’t you ever get tired of that blasted thing?"

    "...Sigh."

    "Pack your things already! The mansion’s out of funds, and we’ve even dismissed the servants!"

    Baron Starn stroked his beard silently, enduring his wife’s reprimands.

    "This painting... it’s a family treasure passed down through generations. Surely we should take it with us?"

    "That messy doodle is a family treasure? Anyone could paint that yellow star!"

    "Still..."

    "Fine if it were small! But it’s needlessly huge and a hassle to carry. Absolutely not!"

    "Hmph."

    The baron cleared his throat in frustration, but his wife only grew more agitated.

    "You don’t even know when a monster might attack! Stop wasting time! And don’t forget, your elder brother is coming to help. We need to prepare!"

    "Alright, alright."

    At last, the baron reluctantly turned away from the painting.

    Left hanging on the wall, the painting was ignored once more.

    It was a massive frame that covered an entire wall of the manor.

    Inside the frame was a chaotic depiction of a golden star painted over in various colors.

    To anyone’s eyes, it looked far from a treasure—a messy and haphazard piece.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]