Ariel returned to her room.

She opened the door.

It was dark.

Her expression remained unchanged, as if she had long been accustomed to such darkness.

She fumbled around in her arms for a while, finally pulling out a... candle.

A simple candle.

It was only half-used.

With a flick of her fingertips, Ariel lit the candle. The crooked and misshapen candle even bore marks where the wax tears had been collected and reshaped. The light of the flickering flame was far from bright.

But for Ariel, it was enough.

Just enough for her to train the skill 【Night Vision】.

Kill two birds with one stone.

She carefully held the candle aloft, entered her room, walked to her desk, and sat down.

Pondering.

For a long time.

Her fingertips caressed the still-warm paper bills in her palm, and a happy smile spread across her face.

“Lea, you’re so kind to me.”

“That little girl is lying.”

A second voice sounded. The flickering candlelight swayed, and an ephemeral shadow began to rise—its form indistinct, but vaguely revealing the silhouette of a beauty.

Ariel’s mentor.

A mysterious and powerful soul practitioner.

Under the light of the candle, her shadow outlined the seated figure perched sideways on the desk, gazing down at her disciple.

“I know.”

Ariel’s expression didn’t change in the slightest at her mentor’s abrupt comment. She replied softly:

“After being around her for so long, how could I not tell when she’s lying? That foolish girl isn’t even good at it. Sponsorship from the church... How likely is that? This money...”

Ariel looked down at the stack of Emil bills in her hand, her eyes beginning to well with tears of emotion.

“This money, I’m afraid, must have been painstakingly earned by Lea herself, through sheer effort and hard work. Such a fool. She’s been sneaking around lately—did she really think I didn’t notice?”

At this, Ariel’s mind began to conjure the image of Lea, clumsily working hard to make money.

She’s skilled in holy light magic—did she go to heal someone’s wounds? Or perhaps work as an assistant for some professors at the academy?

To earn this much money, regardless of how, it must have been exhausting. From the way she looked when she returned earlier, she must be utterly worn out.

“...Is this okay?”

“Of course it isn’t.”

Ariel took a deep breath. “But since Lea has chosen not to tell me, insisting on questioning her will only make her feel embarrassed.”

“Since she’s so sincere about wanting to help me, I absolutely can’t let her down!”

“So the only thing I can do now is work harder and improve myself!”

“I must become stronger, strong enough to truly help Lea!”

“Furthermore…”

Ariel glanced to the side.

On the other end of the desk sat a small mountain of paper bills.

And in front of the mountainous stack, there was a newspaper pinned down.

The most conspicuous section of the paper reported a major news story that was the talk of the town.

【News from the palace: Duke Campbell’s son and Princess Celicia are set to hold their engagement ceremony on Princess’s birthday.】

“I won’t lose to you, Moen Campbell!”

Looking at the newspaper, a resolute glint sparked in Ariel’s eyes.

“...Hmm. It pleases me greatly that you think this way.”

Her mentor’s faint silhouette smiled, contentedly watching her disciple brim with unparalleled determination and confidence.

Despite the significant setbacks she’d endured in recent times, not a hint of her spirit had been diminished. Instead, the trials had fortified her inner strength and resolve.

This... This was the quality required to tread the path to ultimate power.

The beautiful silhouette couldn’t help but marvel at her own discernment. Ariel Bugard—her future would undoubtedly shape the course of the entire world!

“Rest assured, with your level of diligence, that pampered duke’s son could never hope to catch up to you,” the shadow encouraged.

“I know!”

Ariel clenched her fist. “But I still won’t slack off!”

“Excellent. In that case, let’s begin today’s lesson.”

“Yes!” Ariel responded loudly, her spirit overflowing with vigor.

“But before we start, you’ll need to prepare a few materials.”

The shadow of the beauty stroked her chin thoughtfully. “Five ounces of powdered scales from a dominator-level beast, one ounce of Monell flower pollen, and a pure mana crystal. Plus some auxiliary ingredients... Hmm, I believe the academy store sells these items.”

“What? Again...? We have to spend more money again?”

Ariel froze, her earlier spirited expression collapsing instantly as she grimaced.

“Can’t we try a training method that doesn’t burn through money?”

“What foolishness are you spouting?”

The shadow glared at her silly disciple with exasperation, admonishing her:

“Do you think there’s such a way as getting strong without spending money in this world?”

“But... But... These items... are so expensive…”

Ariel looked down at the bills in her hand that still warm. She had been planning to save a little money to get an extra chicken leg for lunch tomorrow, but now...

“Master…”

“Hm?”

“Black bread…”

Ariel looked up, tears streaming down her face as she smiled bitterly.

“It tastes so good.”

“……”

——

Meanwhile, in Moen Campbell’s residence, the room was brightly lit.

Although it was late at night, he was busy reading a note in his hand while working on the custom marble bathtub in front of him.

“Five ounces of powdered scales from a dominator-level beast... Hmm? How heavy is an ounce again? Ah, forget it. I’ll just dump it all in.”

“One ounce of Monell flower pollen... Hmm, one-fifth of what I added earlier... Oh, added too quickly. What was one-fifth again? Forget it. I’ll pour it all in.”

“A pure mana crystal. Well, this doesn’t specify how much. I’ve got ten left…”

“And the auxiliary ingredients... All cheap stuff, so I’ll add plenty.”

After a flurry of activity, Moen gazed into his bathtub, where the materials mixed together into a slightly viscous liquid. He couldn’t help but twitch his mouth in frustration.

“This feels more and more like I’m cooking soup with Teacher Mela’s potion recipes.”

“But surely she wouldn’t mess with me on something like this.”

Moen didn’t think too much about it. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the bathtub.

In an instant.

Because he hadn’t strictly followed the recipe’s proportions, the erratic energy unleashed by the mismatched materials surged violently, crashing through his body like a tsunami, twisting his features in agony.

Had he been an ordinary person, he would likely have long since burst apart and perished in the chaotic process.

But.

“Compared to Teacher Mela and the torment from the Mercury Well, you’re nothing!”

Moen gritted his teeth.

Scarlet flames surged within his body, devouring the rampant energy entirely, transforming it into pure vitality to nourish his flesh.

“Whew…”

Moen let out a long breath.

As the energy was gradually absorbed, the relentless training and various enhancements over the past days had pushed his physical strength to higher boundaries, stopping before a solid wall.

“Second-tier peak, huh?”

Moen flexed his fingers, satisfied with the changes to his strength as he murmured:

“Teacher Mela’s potion formula, designed for third-tier enhancements, really is remarkable.”

It’s just…

Moen lowered his gaze to the bathtub’s contents, which had lost all potency, and instinctively rubbed his chin.

With his scarlet flames taking their cut as an intermediary, he had probably absorbed less than one-third of the essence.

“This feels a bit wasteful.”

“...Well.”

That small pang of guilt over the waste was quickly brushed aside.

“Anyway, it wasn’t expensive…”