After entrusting the children to Allen upon Kalia’s request, Simon immediately took her and Gaia to the Lord’s Castle.

In the deep night when darkness settled in.

The place that should have been silent was still noisy with the sounds of people arguing.

“Who, who touched my arm?”

“Shh, let’s be quiet, I’m sleeping!”

“Who does this bastard think he’s giving orders to?”

“Do you want to be kicked out if you fight? Shut up, all of you!”

Various curses leaked out of the massive warehouse.

Even though it was late at night, they showed no signs of calming down.

Kalia, standing in front of the massive wooden warehouse, looked at Gaia.

“It’s here.”

“…Hmm, they’re all aggressive.”

“It seems like it’s because of the influence of black magic.”

“If it’s because of black magic, it’s possible.”

Gaia nodded her head and reached out her hand to touch the door.

She spread her palm wide and felt the magic inside it, her eyes suddenly widening.

“Definitely… I can feel the magic. It’s stronger than before. But it’s a bit strange. How should I put it, it’s not a clear magic, but a faint feeling like mist.”

“It might be because it’s not fully infused with magic yet, still in the stage of contamination.”

Gaia nodded, seeming to understand.

Soon, she asked Kalia.

“Then, should we test it?”

Kalia nodded with a tense expression.

A warm hand touched her back as she took a deep breath.

“Don’t be nervous, Kalia. It will work out.”

Simon’s voice, comforting her, was even soothing.

Whether her experiment succeeded or failed, Simon was determined to achieve their ultimate goal no matter what.

He was the youngest Archmage in the Empire’s history, determined to end the war as soon as possible.

He also had the determination to fulfill his unrequited love for Kalia, who was stubborn to the extreme for over ten years.

To Simon, how difficult and painful the process was didn’t matter.

What mattered to him was only Kalia, and now, even Sasha added to their happiness.

Kalia held Simon’s hand that was tapping her back.

And just as Simon always did, she kissed the back of his hand and murmured.

“Of course, Simon. It will work out. I will make sure it does.”

She could never forgive Akan for brutally killing her mother and trampling on her homeland.

Kalia tightened her clenched fist. And in that state, she nodded her head towards Gaia.

“Gaia.”

“I got it.”

As Gaia’s body seemed to dissolve into light, it seeped into the bracelet.

Soon, a surge of power was felt emanating from Amuntia’s bracelet.

A tremendous power flowed through her wrist.

As the power concentrated in the palm of her hand, a brilliant blue gem turned into a magnificent sword in Kalia’s hand.

The sword was appropriately sturdy, stretched out elegantly, and the hilt fit perfectly in Kalia’s hand.

As if it was made just for her.

“Amazing.”

Simon, who had been watching, murmured in admiration.

Although Nua’s ice sword also had an extraordinary aura and power, the sword of Amuntia that Kalia was holding right now felt like a completely different level of power.

Kalia lightly swung the sword to test its feel.

The sensation of the sword sticking to her hand as if it was born for her sent a thrill through Kalia.

She found herself smiling without realizing it, so perfect it felt to her.

“Well then, why don’t you try using it once? The power of purification.”Will it work? No… it has to.

Kalia stood in front of the warehouse with a suitable tension in her young face.

The cursing from inside was becoming increasingly vicious.

Sounds of something falling and breaking could be heard.

The cries of children were growing louder.

If left as it was, there would undoubtedly be a big fight.

It was said that even near-death experiences were common in the previous fights.

And if the commotion escalated, the Lord’s guards would come.

So, she must finish this first.

Kalia stood in front of the warehouse door, gripping the sword tightly in her hand.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to concentrate on the power emanating from the sword.

The energy flowing through the sword seemed to tease and entice her.

At that moment, Gaia’s voice echoed in her mind.

[Don’t chase it, but accept it. Try to feel it, Kalia, instead of trying to capture it.]

A gentle voice enveloped her.

Like being submerged in warm water, Gaia’s power embraced and guided her.

Kalia relaxed her stiff shoulders and tried to feel the power of the sword, breathing slowly.

How long had she surrendered herself to the flowing energy?

Suddenly, a tiny flickering power brushed against her, like a breeze.

And in that fleeting moment when the small force touched her…

Kalia felt a surge of power rise and surge within her.

Like a lightning bolt, it was a shocking yet untainted pure force.

It was a power of the soul, completely different from the essence of the sword she wielded.

The overflowing power first purified her.

Even though she hadn’t realized any discomfort before, her entire body and soul felt cleansed, and the power seemed to overflow even more.

[Indeed… You had it too.]

There was a sense of pride in Gaia’s voice that permeated her.

Kalia, with her eyes wide open, felt the merging of her own strength with Gaia’s power and firmly planted the sword of Amuntia into the ground.

A dazzling light flashed, and the refreshing power that had filled Kalia’s inner being spread outward.

The power, clear and pure like the air of the dawn forest, combined with the fiery power of Gaia’s flame, which had become the spirit of Amuntia.

The cold yet scorching wave flowed through the tip of the sword and seeped into the ground.

Then, as if wrapping around the warehouse, the light spread and exploded like their powers were erupting.

Kalia sensed that she had succeeded.

She could feel her heart racing excessively, perhaps due to excitement.

Was it because of that?

The blood coursing through her veins boiled hotly.

“Kalia, are you alright?”

Kalia nodded silently, her mouth sealed shut.

She couldn’t tell what had happened inside, but the swearing and loud voices had subsided.

There was no sound at all.

Simon met Kalia’s gaze and slowly opened the door to the warehouse.

“…!”

As soon as the door opened, they saw people lying on the floor as if they had all fainted simultaneously.

Simon quickly released his magic and lightly scanned their conditions.Fortunately, they seemed to be peacefully asleep without any significant issues.

But that wasn’t the only fortunate thing.

The sickly pallor on the faces of the people trapped inside the warehouse had all vanished.

Simon’s golden eyes widened in astonishment, and he immediately turned to Kalia.

Kalia grinned at him.

But at that moment.

Kalia’s vision suddenly turned pitch black.

Through her blurred sight, she could see Simon’s face, now more surprised than before.

She wanted to tell him it was nothing, but Kalia couldn’t continue her thoughts any longer.

“Kalia…!”

Just like that… she collapsed.

* * *

The sound of a carriage moving brought Kalia back to consciousness for a moment.

But it wasn’t as if her heavy eyelids had suddenly opened.

She groped through the darkness in her retinas and barely grasped the edge of her thoughts.

Her dazed mind sifted through the faded memories.

The dazzling flash, the grip of the sword in her hand, the people lying on the ground, and Simon’s astonished face.

Memories fell into place as if they were being reassembled.

Suddenly, all the energy drained from her body, and she lost her vision completely.

It wasn’t unfamiliar to her since she had passed out a few times before.

Well, the previous instances of fainting were mostly due to excessive bleeding or shock-induced mental fatigue…

It was when she struggled to open her heavy eyelids or moisten her dry lips.

“Abu…”

Sasha’s adorable voice softly reached her ears.

It was a whining sound, tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction.

“No, Sasha. Mommy is sleeping.”

“Hukya… Hueng.”

“This little troublemaker, usually so well-behaved… Looks like you’re worried because your mom keeps falling asleep.”

Simon’s gentle voice, accompanied by a playful chuckle, followed after.

The voice comforting and soothing the baby was sweet and pleasant.

From the sound of it, it seemed like he was holding the child in his arms.

“Mom didn’t get hurt, but she suddenly used her spirit power and seemed very surprised. It’s okay. She just fell asleep, that’s all. Although she slept a bit… longer than expected.”

Kalia sensed the concern underlying Simon’s fading words.

She wanted to assure him that she was fine and that she had woken up, but her eyelids felt heavy.

Her whole body felt sluggish, as if she had been struck.

There was a slight queasiness and a headache, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Even though she didn’t move, she could feel her entire body twitching.

It was as if her body was undergoing some kind of reconstruction.

Kalia mustered her strength and managed to flicker one finger.

But before she could hold onto that moment, drowsiness engulfed her again.

“By the way, we’ll reach Antik soon… You’ll wake up before we get there, right, Kalia?”

She felt a gentle touch, brushing her forehead.

It was a warm and soft touch.

She felt the careful strokes of the eyelashes on her closed eyelids.

“Kalia, since you’re already asleep, sleep well and wake up. And… if you’re going to dream, dream of my dreams. Don’t dream of anything else.”

He hesitated for a moment as if comforting a child, then gently stroked her cheek and whispered without missing a beat.

“I love you.”

The simple words murmured grew longer.

“I love you, I love you. I love you… you troublemaker.”

At that moment, Kalia’s lips curled up slightly.