Chapter 348

Chapter 348. The Great Spirit of Fire and the Gauntlet

Inside ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the magic circle, the 7th Princess, Inette, had her eyes closed.

Her ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍soul was now meeting the Great Spirit of Fire.

Taut ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍tension filled the narrow storeroom.

Gusto ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍silently offered prayers, while Armandy focused with cold sweat running down his face to keep the flow of mana within the magic circle from wavering.

The ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍silence was broken by the Empire’s 2nd Prince, Arteo Kudente Cretian.

With ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍his arms crossed, he watched Inette before turning to Radel.

“Do you really think this contract will succeed?”

Skepticism colored Arteo’s voice.

Even for an exceptional mage, winning the favor of a Great Spirit was never easy.

And Inette was only a first-year Academy student.

‘Though that sly fellow did manage to contract with a Great Spirit….’

Arteo glanced at the Spirit of the Library fluttering its pages as it drifted about.

But that spirit was notoriously eccentric to begin with.

Radel replied calmly.

“The Inette I know is the type who sees things through once she decides to do them.”

There was not a trace of anxiety on Radel’s face.

Arteo clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Does he really believe the 7th Princess will pull it off?’

Arteo knew Inette Dastion Cretian all too well.

A rival he had analyzed again and again in order to place his younger sister, Shartea, on the throne.

Someone who would one day have to be eliminated.

Her background alone was threatening.

The Dastion Ducal House, a founding contributor to the Empire and one of the Five Grand Ducal Houses.

The Duke of Dastion was a seasoned fox, and the influence of her mother, the 3rd Imperial Consort Seliana, who dominated high society, could not be ignored.

Inette herself possessed the Ability called Flame Essence, a formidable power in its own right.

Yet Arteo had never once regarded Inette as a true competitor.

Her most fatal weakness lay elsewhere.

Her temperament—fiery as flame.

Her inability to properly control her Ability, letting it run wild with her emotions.

A hot-blooded nature that flared into anger over trivial matters and ruined situations.

Arteo had long concluded that she was utterly unfit to become the Emperor.

“I am doubtful. If it were Thea, perhaps. But Inette… she might end up fighting the Great Spirit instead.”

At his sarcasm, Radel turned to face Arteo for the first time.

Radel’s eyes were calm.

“She will not.”

His tone was full of certainty.

“Inette has a surprisingly cool-headed side to her.”

It was a judgment completely different from Arteo’s own.

Arteo looked at Radel in surprise.

The way he spoke made it sound as though he understood Inette better than someone who had analyzed her for years within the Imperial Family’s power struggles.

But Radel was sincere.

Hidden beneath her personality, Inette understood her duties as royalty and knew how to mobilize her followers when necessary.

When a crisis struck, she had the strength to stand her ground to protect her friends.

Radel smiled faintly and met Arteo’s gaze head-on.

“Since you have decided to trust me, why not try trusting the choice I made as well?”

Arteo fell silent.

That boy was always like this.

Defying common sense and logic, yet somehow shaking people’s hearts.

Taking Arteo’s silence as assent, Radel added playfully,

“It feels like the future has already changed a little, does it not?”

A complicated expression crossed Arteo’s face.

Radel was right.

The future was changing.

Things that defied Arteo’s experiences.

And at the center of every one of those changes stood the carefree-looking 8th Prince.

***

“A gauntlet…?”

Inette stared down at the gauntlet.

Why was there no Great Spirit of Fire here—only this?

Frowning in confusion, she looked around.

The sky was perfectly clear, not a single cloud in sight.

There was no sun, no moon—an eerily white world.

It felt as though everything had burned away, leaving only white ash behind.

“…This is not the spirit realm I know.”

It was utterly different from the landscapes she remembered.

During summoning class, when she had first contracted with a spirit, the spirit realm had not looked like this.

Clear water flowed, lush forests stretched endlessly, and small spirits played about.

This world was completely detached from that pure realm of nature.

It was clearly not ordinary.

Uneasy, Inette checked her own power.

She spread her palm and drew up her Ability, Flame Essence.

Fwoosh!

Yet what appeared was not the raging blaze she was used to.

At her fingertips, only a tiny flame, no larger than a candle, quietly flickered.

‘My power… is being suppressed.’

Inette’s mouth fell open.

Flame Essence did not function properly here.

This world clearly operated under laws entirely different from the mortal realm.

Realizing she could not use her Ability freely only made her more anxious.

‘Should I just go back?’

Inette had only ever contracted with lower fire spirits.

Contracting with a Great Spirit was far beyond her reach.

It had been an overly ambitious goal from the start.

Perhaps it was better to retreat before something she could not handle occurred.

As she hesitated, the Mage Tower Master’s words echoed in her mind.

‘You will have only one chance.’

Inette bit her lip.

Yes. Only one chance.

She could not give up here.

For the sake of the people waiting for her back in the Mage Tower, she had to succeed, no matter what.

Steeling herself, Inette stepped toward the gauntlet.

A vivid red object lying alone on the white sand.

The gauntlet radiated an overwhelming presence, like a lone flame burning atop the earth.

“Anyone can tell this is suspicious.”

It lay there far too blatantly, as if screaming for attention.

Keeping her guard up, Inette examined it closely.

It was no ordinary glove.

The faint heat emanating from it, the flickering flame patterns etched into its surface—

A powerful aura of fire poured forth, impossible to ignore.

What was she supposed to do with it?

Just as she reached out and her fingertips touched the cool metal surface—

BOOOOM!

The white sand of the ground spiraled upward into the sky.

“W-what is this?!”

Startled, Inette raised her arm to shield her face as she stared at the raging vortex.

From the center of the storm, a colossal figure emerged.

A muscular giant whose entire body burned with flame.

Even his eyes were living fire.

The sheer presence of his arrival warped the space itself.

Breathing became difficult.

Gripping her staff instinctively, Inette forced out her voice.

“Are you… the Great Spirit of Fire?”

He looked exactly as one would imagine a Great Spirit of Fire.

The being crossed his arms and silently rolled his eyes as he scanned Inette from head to toe.

‘Why is he inspecting me like that?’

An inexplicable irritation creased Inette’s brow, but she waited patiently.

After scrutinizing her for a long moment, the Great Spirit clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.

“Hm… your frame is not bad. Good affinity with fire, too. But your hands are too small. Not ideal for clenching a fist….”

He muttered to himself, then nodded as if reaching a conclusion.

“But it is not bad. This will do. Yes, this will do nicely.”

The Great Spirit straightened and bellowed at Inette in a thunderous voice.

“My name is Ifrit, the Great Spirit of Fire! I have been waiting for someone like you!”

Inette blinked, stunned.

“Someone like me?”

She asked, but Ifrit paid her no heed and continued speaking.

“Judging by that fragile body of yours, you have not yet experienced what true strength really is.”

True strength?

That single phrase pricked Inette’s pride.

“My Flame Essence can burn anything! It is one of the strongest Abilities in the Empire!”

At her confident declaration, Ifrit snorted.

“Ability? Do not make me laugh. One who relies on such shallow power can never become truly strong.”

“What did you say?!”

Inette was dumbfounded.

Never in her life had she heard anyone dismiss Abilities so casually.

Even for a Great Spirit, this felt excessive.

Then Ifrit continued,

“True strength comes only from a well-trained bare fist. Your flames are nothing more than uncontrolled emotional residue. They cannot be called real power.”

His words stabbed into Inette like a dagger.

Her Ability running rampant with her emotions—

It was both her greatest strength and her deepest complex.

As if seeing straight through her, Ifrit went on,

“Do you wish to contract with me? Then prove yourself.”

Flames roared within his eyes.

“I do not contract with the weak. If you can land even a single punch on me with your bare hands, I will gladly form a contract.”

Punch the Great Spirit of Fire… with bare hands?

It sounded absurd.

She was a mage, not a brawler.

Still, it was tempting.

If she met that condition, he would agree to the contract.

“Really? If I hit you even once, you will contract with me no matter what?!”

It might be worth trying.

As Inette’s eyes sharpened, Ifrit nodded in satisfaction.

“Yes. That look—I like it. From today on, your epithet shall be… this.”

Ifrit stared straight at Inette.

Then, as though bestowing the greatest title in the world, he declared solemnly,

“Fire Fist.”

“…What fist?”

Inette’s face drained of all color.

‘He looks normal enough, so why is he like this?’

She stared at Ifrit with a deeply unsettled expression.

Looking closely, he was handsome—but his overwhelming musculature made it impossible to see it that way.

For some reason, the Academy’s monster studies professor came to mind.

She had expected the Great Spirit of Fire to be lofty and majestic, not some barehanded-combat-obsessed old man.

The Spirit of the Library had been strange enough.

Why were all Great Spirits like this?

Inette’s mind descended into chaos.

But she could not back down now.

The faces of her companions in danger rose before her eyes.

“Well then, Fire Fist. Will you walk the path of true strength with me?”

Ifrit extended a flaming fist toward the hesitant Inette.

“Then take that gauntlet and challenge me!”

“This is insane….”

She muttered in despair.

Yet she had no other choice.

Inette picked up the red gauntlet lying on the ground.

It looked crude and oversized in her hand.

But the moment she grasped it, a warm heat surged up her arm and spread through her entire body.

‘Could it be…?’

She looked up at Ifrit, who stood there with arms crossed, gazing down at her.

Radel’s words echoed in her mind.

‘All fire spirits liked you. The Great Spirit of Fire will surely take a liking to you too.’

It was a ridiculous thought, but…

that spirit did seem to like her quite a bit.

The power she felt from the gauntlet.

Barehanded, she might not stand a chance, but with this, things were different.

The Great Spirit was clearly expecting something from her.

If so, she would meet those expectations head-on.

Inette removed her glove and slid the gauntlet onto her right hand.

It fit perfectly, as though made for her, and her gaze hardened.

“Come at me, Fire Fist!”

The long, long night of the Mage Tower.

She was beginning her own battle.

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