Chapter 281: Return to the Central Courtyard.

The plain-looking carriage raced along the uneven road, bouncing over ruts and stones.

Inside, the members of the Light Squad sat quietly in a row. Even when the jolting carriage sent them swaying from side to side, no one made a sound.

Traveling in the middle of the night had left them exhausted and sleepy. None of them had the energy to talk.

After killing the Nightmare Fiend, they hadn't dared waste another moment. They'd returned to Diha Village as quickly as possible, reclaimed their carriage, and paid a handsome sum to hire a driver who could take them straight to the Central Court without stopping.

They had originally planned to treat themselves to a delicious meal in Diha Village. But after being ambushed by the Black Knights, they'd abandoned that idea. They would rather survive on dry rations than delay their departure.

After one group of Black Knights had been killed, another had appeared. If the attacks continued without end, even the strongest among them would eventually be worn down.

The sooner they left, the safer they'd be.

Ever since returning to human form, Seriu had been unusually quiet. He'd climbed into the carriage, settled into a corner, and lowered his head, lost in thought.

Halis sat beside him, deeply worried. His brows were tightly furrowed, and several times he seemed about to speak, only to stop himself.

They had encountered two familiar faces today.

Gesam, the Black Knight commander, and Sarn, the Nightmare Fiend. Both had once been figures the prince admired.

Although Seriu hadn't enjoyed sword practice as a child, he'd genuinely regarded them as his teachers. Sarn, in particular, had brought warmth and laughter into his childhood.

Halis had been the prince's magic instructor. Whenever Seriu skipped his lessons, it was almost always because he'd sneaked off to play with Sarn.

Sarn had been a royal guard with the strength of a Great Swordsman. Knowing the prince was with him, the king and queen had never worried about his safety.

But while Gesam's betrayal had been devastating, Sarn's murder of the king had caused Seriu even greater anguish.

The affection he'd once felt for Sarn had turned into hatred just as intense.

And only today had the prince discovered that Sarn was a Nightmare Fiend.

Or, more precisely, a human possessed by one.

Halis couldn't help marveling at the Nightmare Fiend's cunning. Looking back on those years, he still couldn't identify a single flaw in Sarn's disguise.

If the Nightmare Fiend hadn't revealed himself, would anyone have noticed anything unusual? Perhaps only someone whose strength surpassed that of a Mage Sovereign could have seen through him.

The revelations had dealt Seriu a terrible emotional blow, and Halis feared he might be unable to come to terms with them.

"Your Highness..." Halis called softly.

Seriu suddenly seized his hand, gripping it so tightly that Halis felt a twinge of pain. He said nothing, merely returning the young man's grip.

"Thank you," Seriu whispered.

Thank you for always staying by my side. For protecting me so carefully and looking after me all these years.

Halis's expression softened. He did his best to comfort the young man beside him in his own quiet way.

No matter how much the prince had grown, in Halis's heart he would always be the little boy who had once curled up in his arms and cried.

Shu Li was struggling to stay awake, but the constant rocking and jolting of the carriage made it impossible to fall asleep.

Instead, he turned his attention to Seriu.

After all, it hadn't been long since he'd held the Sword of Carlos, which Seriu had transformed into. The sensation of being mentally connected to the magical sword had been unforgettable, exactly like what he'd experienced when holding the Sword of Viona.

And that was strange.

He wasn't the true master of either magical sword, so why had he felt such a profound connection to them? It was as though he could wield them however he pleased, simply by willing it.

Once could be a coincidence. But twice?

There was also something intriguing about the magical sword's song.

Today hadn't been the first time the Sword of Carlos had sung.

The previous occasion had been when Seriu awakened his power and transformed into a magical sword for the first time. Back then, the sword had sung a poem.

But Shu Li knew perfectly well that the song hadn't been meant for him. It had simply been an expression of the sword's joy at reappearing in the world.

Today's song was different.

It had been a battle hymn sung specifically for him.

Or rather, it was the Sword of Carlos inviting him to fight alongside it.

Because Shu Li had heard the words "God of Time and Space."

In other words, the magical sword knew he was the master of the soul vessel chosen by the God of Time and Space, and it had used the song to pay tribute to him.

What Shu Li really wanted to know was whether Seriu himself understood the meaning of the song.

He would have liked to ask, but Seriu had remained silent ever since changing back into human form. Shu Li didn't want to disturb him.

And now, seeing Seriu and Halis holding hands so tightly, he was even more reluctant to interrupt.

"What's wrong?"

Ace's soft voice sounded beside his ear.

Shu Li snapped out of his thoughts and turned, meeting a pair of gentle green eyes. For some inexplicable reason, his heart began beating faster.

"N-nothing. I was just thinking... we really need to train harder once we get back."

Feeling strangely guilty, Shu Li turned his head away.

"Exactly! We all need to get stronger as soon as possible," Hector chimed in. "Watching you guys fight while I stood on the sidelines was absolutely miserable."

Cyndi and Nasha nodded in agreement.

"Then..." Shu Li considered for a moment. "Once we've finished this assignment, why don't we focus on training for a while?"

They had only been taking assignments to earn extra money and gain experience. But after two adventures, Shu Li had come to understand just how much the Light Squad's uneven strength was holding them back.

Ace, Hector, Cyndi, and Nasha were still Mage Apprentices, with virtually no ability to protect themselves. Not only were they unable to participate in battles, but the others had to divert part of their strength to protecting them.

That wasn't good for the team's long-term development.

They couldn't afford to rush recklessly ahead. Improving everyone's strength had to come first.

A team was only truly strong when all its members were strong.

By the following afternoon, the carriage finally reached the Central Court.

The moment they entered its territory, Shu Li and the others finally allowed their tightly wound nerves to relax.

This adventure might have been straightforward in theory, but it had been utterly exhausting.

They hadn't bathed in three days, hadn't eaten properly, and had barely slept. Fortunately, the generous reward awaiting them offered some consolation.

The Light Squad couldn't wait another moment.

Before nightfall, they hurried to the Adventurers' Guild. Under the astonished gazes of the people around them, they produced twenty beautiful Seckern bird feathers, successfully completed their assignment, and collected their reward of fifteen thousand gold coins.

They immediately returned to St. Velia Magic Academy, gathered in Shu Li's dormitory to divide the money, and then enjoyed long, much-needed baths.

After a satisfying meal in the dining hall, everyone returned to their own dormitories and collapsed into bed.

Shu Li, unfortunately, had it much worse than the others.

While everyone else could sleep peacefully until morning, he had to make a trip to the Elven Kingdom in the middle of the night to report to the Elven King. Then, in the early hours before dawn, he traveled to Vanaku to carry out purification work.

The following day, he couldn't stop yawning and eventually fell asleep during Ilio's class.

The consequences were entirely predictable.

Ilio's punishment was so brutal that Shu Li wanted to cry.

Still, if he wanted to become stronger, he would have to endure the hardship, no matter how exhausting or painful it became.

From then on, their days were consumed by seemingly endless training.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

For a Junior Mage Apprentice, spending two years building a solid foundation and advancing to Junior Initiate Mage was considered quite an achievement.

However, most students admitted to St. Velia Magic Academy were geniuses among geniuses. Plenty managed to reach Intermediate Initiate Mage within two years.

The students of First-Year Class One, in particular, possessed exceptional talent. Under the instruction of Saint Mage Ilio, every single one of them had advanced to Senior Initiate Mage.

Even more astonishing to the entire academy was the fact that ten outstanding students from Class One had pulled far ahead of their peers, breaking through to become Junior Mages in one fell swoop.

At first, some people refused to believe it, dismissing the rumors as exaggerations.

But when those ten students completed their end-of-term magical assessments and received their Junior Mage badges, everyone was left speechless.

Curious students approached them, hoping to discover the secret behind their rapid advancement.

The ten could only answer with miserable expressions.

"A secret? No. Absolutely not. There's no secret at all!"

"When you've got a magic instructor mocking you every single day, you'll push yourself to improve just to prove him wrong."

"The sweat we shed every day is our secret."

"While you were sleeping soundly, we were meditating and training."

"Talent is important, of course, but hard work is indispensable."

"You have to push yourself mercilessly to unlock your potential."

Those who heard these answers were deeply disappointed.

Anyone could spout impressive-sounding advice. But how many people could actually live up to it?

Those ten youngsters definitely had some secret method of advancing. They simply weren't willing to share it.

Faced with all those resentful looks, Shu Li and his companions felt utterly helpless.

It wasn't that they didn't want to share their methods. Their methods simply weren't suitable for ordinary people.

Fairies and dragons had their own unique training systems.

As for Hector and the others, they had spent an entire year absorbing energy from magic crystals, repeatedly pushing themselves to their limits and enduring the pain through sheer determination.

They had practically forced their way into higher ranks.

Two years earlier, after returning from their adventure, Shu Li had discussed clearing the Mother Tree's roots leading to the Magical Beast Forest.

He wanted to use the spatial passages within her roots to travel there, mine magic crystals, and bring them back as "nutrients" for his teammates.

As long as his friends had a steady supply of energy from magic crystals, their ranks would naturally shoot upward like rockets.

Other mages certainly didn't enjoy such luxurious treatment.

The Mother Tree had originally intended to purify the roots beneath Boniba Swamp and search for the Earth God's Temple. But Shu Li's request interrupted those plans, forcing her to postpone the search.

Shu Li wasn't in any hurry.

Compared to the uncertain location of the Earth God's Temple, the Snow Mountain Labyrinth was a much more tangible destination. It was sitting right there in the Land of Snow, waiting for him to enter and search for the Water Spirit.

Besides, both Chris and Nasha's elder brother were in the Land of Snow.

The Earth God's Temple would simply have to wait.

The Mother Tree didn't particularly mind.

All her roots needed to be purified eventually. It was merely a question of timing and order.

So she spent a year purifying the roots beneath the Magical Beast Forest and easily located a magic crystal mine.

Shu Li was delighted.

He worked tirelessly to extract the crystals, and the Light Squad's strength increased dramatically.

Hector, Cyndi, and Nasha all advanced to Junior Mage.

Ace was even stronger, reaching Intermediate Mage. However, he deliberately held back during the assessment and received a Junior Mage badge like the others.

Shu Li understood his decision perfectly.

Excellence earned admiration, but extraordinary talent invited jealousy.

Rather than showing off his abilities and attracting unwanted attention, it was wiser to conceal his brilliance behind an ordinary appearance.

Dixio, Angel, Budno, and Amanda successfully advanced to Junior Grand Mage, while Kumandi reached Intermediate Grand Mage.

Shu Li himself advanced to Senior Grand Mage.

Now that all the Little Fairies had become Grand Mages, they could finally enter into contracts with the Mother Tree.

Kumandi had signed his contract earlier, gaining the ability to return freely to the Elven Kingdom alongside Shu Li. Dixio, Angel, and Budno had been terribly envious.

A month ago, they too had finally signed contracts with the Mother Tree.

They'd immediately rushed back to the Elven Kingdom, so excited that they refused to sleep all night. Instead, they flew all the way to the divine tree to play with the other Little Fairies.

Curiously enough, although the Mother Tree's roots spread throughout the Austin Continent, they had somehow avoided the Faerie Forest entirely.

Shu Li had once asked her why she hadn't extended her roots beneath the forest.

The Mother Tree explained that the Faerie Forest was the divine tree's territory.

Whenever her roots, which had been contaminated by darkness, approached the forest, they would snap. She simply couldn't get any closer.

But her branches still needed to connect with the main trunk, so she'd had no choice but to bypass the Faerie Forest entirely and take an "undersea tunnel" instead.

After hearing her explanation, Shu Li gave the Mother Tree an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Over those two years, subtle changes had also begun taking place across the continent.

For example, something called a "newspaper" had appeared in various countries.

The great Mage Sovereign himself had personally named it. The Magic Tower was responsible for its entire operation, while Mages' Guilds throughout the various countries and regions handled distribution.

Every week, the newspapers brought interesting news to people all across the continent.