Chapter 436: Perfectionist
Elion had no doubt that he could take care of whoever came after him, as long as they were not Peak Grand Mages or higher. And if someone stronger did appear, then he could always let Zenith handle them.
But that was not the real issue. What annoyed him was the idea that he would be hunted wherever he went like some kind of criminal.
He had enemies, and that was fine.
But having bounty hunters, assassins, and greedy fools crawl out from every corner of the kingdom was not something he wanted to deal with while he was trying to reunite with everyone and prepare for the Legacy World.
’I hope this situation resolves itself soon,’ he thought quietly. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew it was nothing more than a fool’s dream.
If Duke Dawncrest remained stubborn and continued branding him a heretic, then this matter would only end with one of them in the grave. And Elion had no doubt that, if it came down to that, it would not be him.
Tessa looked at him with a worried expression when she saw the seriousness on his face. Elion smiled, and his carefree air returned.
"Depressing matters aside," he said, turning to Zenith, "is it fine if we leave for Grimholt right now? I have to return here in a few days for my duel, but I have a feeling your speed is more than enough for us not to worry about travel time and so on."
Zenith’s eyes brightened. There was nothing she liked more than being useful to her beloved, "Of course, Hubby!" She spoke proudly.
"I can travel from one end of this world to the other in half a day using my own strength. With the help of the Philosopher’s Stone, I can do it instantaneously by boosting my space element. Once I master space properly, I should be able to achieve the same result without relying on the stone."
Elion’s mouth slowly opened. He was no geography expert, but this world was supposed to be massive, and Zenith was telling him she could cross it in half a day by herself? More than that, with the Philosopher’s Stone, she could go anywhere instantly? That was just ridiculous!
Tessa was equally shocked, even though she knew nothing about this Philosopher’s Stone Zenith mentioned.
How powerful did someone have to be to travel across the world in half a day? Her own father was a Grand Mage, and he could do no such thing.
The only possibility she could think of was that Zenith had to be a Sage Mage. Or perhaps even beyond that.
’Is she a saint mage!?’ Tessa suddenly shivered. What was she doing acting so friendly with someone of such strength?
And what was Elion doing courting such an unbelievably powerful woman? Her gaze moved between the two of them. For completely different reasons, she began seeing both Zenith and Elion in a new light.
It took a certain kind of strength to possess that much power. But perhaps it took a different kind of strength entirely to have the courage to woo a woman like Zenith.
Meanwhile, Elion was already thinking of all the possibilities that had suddenly opened up to him since he had so suddenly gained a godlike travelling option.
Would he ever need to worry about distance again?
No.
All his worries about how he was going to visit everyone in different places had suddenly become much smaller.
’Zenith,’ Elion thought quietly, ’you deserve a nice reward.’
As for the matter of his bounty, the best way to brush off future attackers was for him to become as strong as possible so that he could protect himself. It seemed it was finally time for him to break through into the next rank.
He had delayed long enough; it was time for him to become a High Mage.
...
While Elion was planning his breakthrough and quietly preparing to leave Silvergrove City, Maya was back home, reporting to her father inside the office of his manor.
Of course, before coming here, she had cleaned herself and dressed properly. There was no way she would appear before him in a dishevelled state; otherwise, Smith would take offence, and when Smith took offence, punishment usually followed.
Her father was what one would call a perfectionist.
For as long as Maya could remember, ever since she was a child, no, perhaps ever since the day she learned how to walk, he had always pushed her to become the best version of herself.
But only she knew what that truly entailed. In her early youth, beatings had been plentiful.
For every mistake she made, he ensured that she was punished until she understood exactly what she had done wrong. A wrong posture, a failed spell, a careless word, a moment of hesitation, whatever you might imagine, none of it escaped him.
And when he felt physical punishment was not enough, he used methods far crueller than simple beatings.
Keeping her locked inside her room for days without food or water had been one of his favourite methods.
It was very effective, for the most part.
Brutal training sessions that ended with her crawling back to her room were also common. In fact, if Maya tried to count the number of times that had not happened, she could use all the fingers and toes she had and still have a few left over.
The worst part was that she was not allowed to use recovery potions or healing artefacts afterward.
Pain, according to her father, was a teacher, and weakness that needed soothing was weakness that had not yet learned its lesson.
For most of her childhood, Maya had been certain that her own father resented her. Perhaps he still blamed her for taking his wife away on the day she was born into this world.
Perhaps every punishment, every cold glare, and every impossible expectation was simply his way of taking out his grief on the daughter who had survived in her mother’s place.
’She was your wife, but she was my mother too!’ Maya would mutter while crying herself to sleep at night, her body aching so badly that even breathing hurt.
As she grew older, she began to understand what he wanted from her, so she adapted and learned to do everything meticulously.
Exactly as he commanded and exactly as he preferred. The punishments became less frequent after that.
It could be said that thanks to him, she became a talented mage and a capable leader. The youngest member of the Triad Alliance ever promoted to Gold rank.
Her unmatched efforts had boosted the reputation of her father’s faction, and there were many who looked at Maya Smith with admiration, envy, or quiet fear.
It could be said that his instruction had paid off rather well, at least, that was what she told herself.
Maya let out a slow, shuddering breath as she stood before the office door. Her hand rose, and she knocked as softly as she could.
A moment later, her father’s gruff voice came from the other side, "Enter."
Maya’s fingers tightened around nothing, and then she turned the knob, pushed the door open, and walked inside.
"Father."