As night descended, the collective training of the Church of Destiny concluded. The followers, though weary, returned to their city headquarters with renewed spirits, their steps filled with conviction.
The small underground palace's conference hall felt quiet after the day's hustle. With the familiar fluctuation of Sixth Tier Magic [Greater Teleportation], Kael's figure appeared in the hall. Beside him was Leinas, still slightly dazed, her eyes radiating a mix of fatigue and lingering astonishment.
When Kael saw Leinas's surprise, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but lift. A small amusement stirred in his heart. Truthfully, it couldn't be blamed on Leinas's lack of experience. What had happened to her today—the power she touched, the speed of leveling she experienced, and the presence of LV90-level guardians—would be incredibly hard to believe even if it happened to the most seasoned native of the New World.
Especially in the cognition of the New World's natives, the highest tier of magic a human could use was Sixth Tier, and reaching Seventh Tier was called the realm of Gods. And Leinas herself, through Kael's blessing and her [Spuit Lance], could now use Eighth Tier Magic. That technically proved she had become a "God" in the eyes of this world.
Is she confused? It's only natural to feel confused, Kael thought, understanding the turmoil within Leinas.
Kael was satisfied with the results of Leinas's "cultivation." They were a successful experiment. He gently patted Leinas's back, a reassuring touch. "Relax. I'm going to take a bath first."
Having said that, he flew with the [Fly] skill towards the large bathing area, smiling and humming a cheerful tune, leaving Leinas still deep in thought.
Leinas gazed at Kael's retreating back, her deep blue eyes trembling slightly. Slowly, a strange color appeared in her pupils, a reflection of the emotions swirling within her—awe, exhaustion, and a thought she was still trying to grasp.
After taking two deep breaths, calming her heartbeat, her emotions seemed to return to tranquility. She followed Kael out of the conference room, her steps now steadier.
It felt wonderful.
After Kael arrived at the large bathing area, he shed all his clothes with the [Instant Armament] skill and immersed himself in the indulgent warm water. Although he hadn't fought fiercely today and his body wasn't as tired as his followers, the comfort of the bath was not diminished.
Especially when his body completely relaxed in the moderately warm water, it felt like a pair of gentle hands caressing every inch of his skin, a sensation that made it hard not to get addicted.
While enjoying the physical comfort, Kael thought about today's training and the progress of his forces.
There was not much to say about the ordinary followers that the Blue Roses were responsible for guiding and training. The highest level among them were over 100 people from Carne Village, and their current average level was around level 40. A decent improvement.
As for Enri and Fluder, who were the focus of his training, and Leinas, who had just been added to the training list, their levels were LV76, LV65, and LV52 respectively. An extraordinary leap in levels in a short time.
Although there were only three people in Enri's group, for them to reach their current levels, Kael had spent twice as many items as all his other followers combined. This was a significant investment.
The reason was that the highest level of monsters summoned by Tenth Tier Magic was only level 70. When followers were at low levels, they could gain experience points by killing higher-level monsters with significant XP bonuses. However, once their levels approached level 70, the bonus experience points effect would become weaker until it disappeared entirely.
For example, for Enri now, her level had surpassed 70. Even if she used Tenth Tier Magic summoning items, it might take her several days to level up once more. So, there was no need to consider drastic rocket-like increases.
Kael also thought about using items that stored Super-Tier Magic to help Enri and the other two level up. Super-Tier Magic could summon monsters above level 70, and the most powerful could even summon a single level 100 monster—an entity equivalent to Nazarick's strongest NPCs. It wasn't impossible to stack his followers' levels this way.
But... Kael was a little reluctant.
Because if they wanted to raise Enri and the other two to level 100, they would need to consume not just one or two high-tier items, but perhaps a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand. That was a fantastic amount, a very valuable reserve.
If the same number of items were used to confront the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick and the others—the true enemies in the future—the effect would surely be far stronger than merely the combat power of three level 100 units.
After all, even if Enri and the other two reached LV99, they could still gain experience points by killing LV1 enemies, though the results would be minimal. While it would take more time and consume more low-tier items, it was still far better than depleting strategic reserves like high-tier items.
Let them take their time, Kael decided.
If that didn't work, he could take them to hunt NPCs in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Kael smirked faintly at his own thought. After all, those individuals were level 100 and could be used as "consumables" for leveling. They could also deplete the tomb's resources at the same time. Truly, hitting two birds with one stone!
Alright, that's a happy decision.
After finding a solution to something that had been bothering him, Kael suddenly felt much fresher, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl slightly. Planning was key.
At this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.
Tap, tap, tap!
The footsteps were light, almost inaudible, but even an ordinary person could faintly hear them, let alone him with his sharp senses.
Kael looked back, his smile still lingering.
It was no surprise to see Leinas, now wrapped in a pristine white bath towel, her golden hair wet and loose.
Under his gaze, Leinas came to the bath and stepped into the water with a natural expression, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"You're here." Kael greeted.
"Eh." Leinas simply mumbled in response.
After that meaningless greeting, both fell silent, only the gurgling of water filling the quiet. Due to previous experience, Kael was clearly much more relaxed. He moved closer to Leinas little by little, stopping when they were less than half a meter apart.
And Leinas was even calmer. She showed not the slightest embarrassment, not even like yesterday. She regarded this situation as perfectly normal, an unexpected acceptance.
After a long silence, Leinas asked Kael, her voice soft and full of hesitation, "I want to ask you a few things. Can you answer them honestly?" There was a tone of seriousness in her voice.
"Alright, just ask." Kael felt his emotions were rather subtle, a mix of curiosity and anticipation. Although he didn't know what she would ask, he nodded seriously nonetheless.
"Am I... important to you?" Leinas asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Not important before, but now... somewhat important." Kael didn't know if his answer was truly satisfying, but that was indeed what he genuinely thought. Leinas had proven herself a valuable asset, and also... his partner.
Leinas didn't know whether to agree or disagree with that answer, so she simply nodded gently and asked the second question, a deeper one, "What do you want to do in the future?"
"..." Hearing this question, Kael couldn't help but pause for a moment. His eyes stared at the ceiling, contemplating his vision. Then, he said frankly, "I will eliminate all beings—whatever their race, whatever their power—that threaten me. And then... I might conquer the world." His voice held cold determination and burning ambition.
Leinas looked at Kael in astonishment, an admiration flashing in her eyes. However, a smile slowly appeared on her face, a genuine smile. "It seems I have found an extraordinary teacher."
Kael made no comment on this, but merely smiled, the mysterious smile of a God with grand plans.
Leinas suddenly felt much more relaxed, as if an invisible burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She moved a little closer, snuggling her body, and leaned on Kael's arm as if it were a sturdy chair back.
"When you helped me remove the curse before, I was so happy, an indescribable joy," Leinas began, her voice softening, revealing her hidden feelings. "But I also felt a loss of purpose in my life. My family was ruined because of me, and so was my fiancé's family. Although this world is vast, nothing seemed worth holding onto."
"So, when you decided to take me in, I didn't care much. I just wanted to find a place to belong, a purpose, a meaning. It didn't matter where I went, as long as I wasn't alone anymore." Leinas spoke to herself, her voice filled with bitter nostalgia.
Kael gently wrapped his arm around her waist from behind, pulling her closer. "What now?" he asked in her ear, his voice full of warmth.
"Hmm..." Leinas's body trembled slightly, as if she were a little sensitive to the touch, but then she relaxed completely, leaning into Kael's strength. "It's no different. But it seems good to continue serving you. I feel that way now. You are my new purpose."
"Your feeling is not wrong, trust me." Kael couldn't help but smile and said softly to Leinas, strengthening her conviction.
The warm water flowed slowly, enveloping them. They embraced in silence for a long time, as if feeling a sense of belonging to each other, a newly formed bond, more than just a contract or leveling.