[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 76

    Several weeks had passed.

    “Something’s strange...”

    Saintess Theresia watched Kaylen with a mix of curiosity and doubt.

    “By now, he should be asking if he can join the Sanctuary himself.”

    She had been dropping hints steadily, meeting with Kaylen once a week to subtly emphasize the greatness of the Sanctuary.

    “Oh, how impressive.”

    “To live forever...”

    Yet, Kaylen only offered polite admiration, never broaching the subject of joining on his own.

    By this point in her interactions with others, most would be pleading to join, asking if they too could enter the Sanctuary.

    The awe instilled by her Blessing combined with the allure of eternal youth had always worked without fail.

    “The blessing is working properly, isn’t it?”

    Kaylen’s eyes gleamed with reverence and respect whenever he looked at her.

    The blessing’s effects were evident, ensuring his attitude wasn’t the problem.

    “Could it be that he’s hesitant to bring it up himself?”

    It wasn’t unheard of. Some people, overwhelmed by reverence, doubted their worthiness.

    “Can someone as insignificant as me dare to live in the Sanctuary with the Saintess herself?”

    Was Kaylen one of those?

    Even setting aside his unparalleled talent, he was still in his early twenties.

    A lack of worldly experience could explain such hesitation.

    “Perhaps I overdid it with the blessing. I should emphasize things further.”

    She couldn’t directly invite him to join. Admission to the Sanctuary required a declaration of intent from the individual.

    Forcing or pressuring someone into joining diminished the efficacy of their commitment.

    “Kaylen,” Theresia addressed him softly.

    “Yes?”

    “You’re aware, aren’t you, that dungeon portals across the kingdom have been disappearing?”

    “Yes, I’ve heard about it.”

    One by one, dungeon portals had vanished, and the monsters that once surrounded them disappeared into the void.

    For the common people who had suffered from the monsters, this was a cause for celebration and festivals.

    But those in higher positions were treating the phenomenon with suspicion.

    The saintess’s sudden appearance, coupled with the portals disappearing of their own accord, made the situation feel like the calm before a storm.

    Kaylen had been hearing similar reports from envoys of various royal factions.

    “Soon, the Demon Realm’s invasion will begin,” Theresia said gravely.

    “They’ll come to eradicate the ‘colonies.’”

    “The colonies... eradicated...”

    “This kingdom will face an unprecedented catastrophe. Countless lives will be lost, and the very survival of the nation will be at stake.”

    “We, the Holy Army, will assist the kingdom as much as we can. But if the devastation becomes too great, we may be forced to retreat.”

    Theresia’s voice turned cold as she continued, “The Sanctuary is humanity’s last bastion. If forced to choose between saving the kingdom or preserving the Sanctuary... we will choose the latter.”

    Kaylen frowned.

    “How will the colony eradication proceed?”

    “Allow me to show you.”

    Theresia gestured with her hand, and a glowing circle appeared in the air.

    The circle transformed into a map, displaying the territory of the Bormian Kingdom.

    “Dungeon portals haven’t disappeared,” she explained.

    “They’ve merely relocated. Do you see these twisted black zones?”

    “Northeast, is it?”

    “Yes. Soon, all the vanished dungeon portals will be summoned here, in one place.”

    “Hmm...”

    Kaylen pondered. If all the portals scattered across the kingdom reappeared in a single location, the number of monsters would be staggering.

    Even considering the sheer numbers alone, the situation was bound to be overwhelming.

    “But if it’s just monsters being summoned,” Theresia added, “the Meisters should be able to handle them. Even I recognize the firepower of the Meisters.”

    “Then...” Kaylen began.

    “The issue lies with the demonic generals leading the monster legions,” she continued.

    “Demonic generals...”

    “It’s fine. That guy’s a monster,” Myorn replied dismissively.

    “Even monsters would probably be reduced to ashes at this scale.”

    “This is the same guy who survived Glacia’s onslaught. He’ll be fine.”

    “Ugh... still...”

    Kaylen overheard Myorn and Irene’s conversation as he approached the massive magic circle.

    To ensure the Flame Sword’s completion, Kaylen had enlisted Myorn, who was developing the Mana Suit, to construct the magic circle.

    Initially, Myorn had been reluctant:

    “Do we really have to do this now? I feel like I could make significant progress on the Mana Suit instead.”

    Kaylen, however, knew how to persuade him:

    “Wouldn’t you like to enhance your fire elemental abilities?”

    “The method you suggested involves freezing me to awaken the fire mana within, doesn’t it?”

    “That’s true. But these days, the amount of fire mana we’ve extracted is diminishing in effect, isn’t it?”

    “I suppose it is.”

    “Then it’s time to replenish the fire. If we complete the magic circle on Royen, it’ll benefit your elemental abilities as well.”

    “...Really? So after extracting fire mana from my body, we’re putting fire back in?”

    In the end, Kaylen’s argument won Myorn over.

    With Myorn’s expertise in fire mana, the analysis of the magic circle on Royen’s body accelerated.

    Kaylen had made one clear request: “Focus solely on firepower. Forget stability—just ensure it ignites.”

    The result was a magic circle designed purely for destructive output.

    Of course, such single-minded emphasis came with significant risks.

    “I wish we had more time to refine this,” Irene muttered, gazing at the massive and incomplete magic circle with a mixture of regret and apprehension.

    The circle emphasized raw firepower but was woefully incomplete in every other regard.

    The magic circle engraved on Royen’s body hadn’t been fully analyzed yet.

    “We can make up for the missing elements with mana stones, but...”

    Irene’s eyes fell on the countless mana stones embedded throughout the massive magic circle.

    There are just too many!

    “Why? Feeling stingy about the mana stones?” Myorn teased.

    “Ugh... Yes, I am! There are 256 of them embedded in this thing! I told you we should analyze the magic circle more thoroughly before activating it!” Irene snapped.

    “There’s no time,” Myorn replied casually. “And with all the money the Magic Tower has, why are you so worked up?”

    “Do you even know how we saved that money? We scraped and pinched every bit we could—carefully managing our resources! Not everyone spends money recklessly in the name of experiments like you do!”

    Irene’s voice rose as she vented her frustration.

    While Kaylen had contributed some of his personal wealth, the majority of the mana stones had been funded by the Fairy Tower.

    Especially through one person in particular.

    “Oh, come on, stop with the nagging, spinster,” Myorn said with a grin.

    “AHH! Brother! Whose side are you on?!” Irene glared at Eldir, her anger mounting.

    “I’m the one who contributed to the Magic Tower, remember? Just stop complaining and get the activation ready,” Eldir retorted.

    The activation of the grand magic circle required a tremendous amount of mana stones. Eldir had leveraged his contributions to the Magic Tower to secure these resources, but Irene...

    “No! Absolutely not! I used my personal savings to get these stones!”

    “...What?” Eldir blinked in surprise.

    Irene turned her blazing gaze toward him.

    “You’ve done so much for the Magic Tower as a member of the Elven Guard. There’s no way I’d let them exchange your contributions for mere mana stones. I used my savings instead.”

    To Irene, her brother’s dedication and sacrifices weren’t something that could be reduced to a monetary transaction.

    So, to ensure his contributions remained untouched, she had emptied her personal reserves, money she had painstakingly saved for the future, to secure the mana stones.

    But Eldir, oblivious to his sister’s feelings, simply grinned cheerfully.

    “Wow, you’re richer than I thought. If you had that much money, why didn’t you buy me better drinks when we went out? What were you even saving it for?”

    Crack. Irene ground her teeth audibly.

    Her gaze burned as she turned to Kaylen, who had just arrived.

    “Kaylen, you’re here.”

    “Ah, yes, Irene.”

    “Please... please... make sure this magic circle is a success.”

    Kaylen gave a strained smile. He had lightly requested Eldir’s help but hadn’t anticipated that Irene would end up sacrificing her wealth for this.

    “I’ll make sure it’s worth the investment,” Kaylen assured her.

    With deliberate steps, he walked to the center of the massive magic circle.

    “Activate the magic circle,” he ordered.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]