The mages summoned from the royal capital gathered around the middle of the volcano, encircling the entire mountain.
They raised their arms high, their surging magic power intertwining with each other, gradually forming an enormous magic array surrounding the volcano.
Brilliant lights shimmered, grand and magnificent.
Many magical steel spikes nailed into the mountain's surface were affected by the formation. The magical chains on them began to clink and rattle restlessly, digging ever deeper into the volcano.
Runes were carved into the formation, and the enormous array grew even thicker and more complex, extending far beyond its original boundaries.
The second-rank mages stood one tier below the third-rank mages, continuously channeling their mana upward.
When the first group of second-rank mages became too exhausted to continue, the second group stepped up to replace them.
Once the earliest batch of second-rank mages had rested enough, they took their turn again, one rotation after another.
A dozen third-rank mages focused their minds and began to chant at the center of the formation,
"God of the Abyss, weep in agony! Gather the chill of the underworld!"
"Merciful God of Radiance, plead! Sing the sorrow of the lower realm's tears!"
———
Even though Erica was the duke's daughter, she received no special treatment.
She, too, was assigned among the second-rank mages.
After the knights had evacuated the citizens, they stood guard nearby, protecting the mages from interference.
Magic attracted monsters, so the knights surrounded the mages, slaying any creatures that dared approach.
"This magic array covering all of Mount Vesuvius, the longer the spell is maintained, the stronger its effect will be."
Duke Levi, himself a third-rank mage, was pouring all his effort into maintaining and adjusting the array. He only wished to delay the volcano's eruption as long as possible.
If this great formation could be maintained for a full day, it might completely prevent Vesuvius from erupting.
Thus, they continued for an hour. When the first group of second-rank mages withdrew down the mountain, another group replaced them.
Erica was among that group. She stood behind Duke Levi, chanting softly, transmitting her mana to her father.
While the duke chanted incantations and traced the formation's runes, he observed Erica's every movement.
Seeing her capable of standing on her own filled his heart with comfort.
"Erica, you've grown up."
When the second group of mages stepped down and the third prepared to take their place, Erica did not leave.
She secretly drank a bottle of blue potion she had bought from Liana, and in an instant, her mental strength surged back to full.
When Duke Levi saw that Erica was still continuing, he was a bit surprised, and then deeply pleased.
"I didn't expect Erica to possess such a vast amount of mental strength."
"When I was her age, I was nowhere near as strong."
Another hour passed. The third group withdrew, and the fourth took their place.
Erica still stood on the array, continuing to channel mana to her father.
She quietly drank another potion, and her spirit was completely restored again.
If Duke Levi had only been surprised before, now he was utterly stunned.
"Erica's talent… is this terrifying!?"
"Her spiritual strength already surpasses that of many third-rank mages!"
And as her father, he was only realizing now how powerful his daughter truly was.
Soon, even the fourth group of mages had exhausted their magic and went down to rest.
Erica secretly drank yet another potion and continued channeling mana.
All the third-rank mages around Duke Levi had noticed her by now.
'It had already been four hours, where did she get so much mana?'
'Could it be that within this prodigious girl's chest lies a vast ocean named "Magic"?'
The mages couldn't hold back their curiosity and asked the duke, "Duke Levi, is your daughter a monster? Her mental reserves are frightening."
"Right? I've never seen anyone who could keep 'plowing the field' for this long!"
Duke Levi began to worry. He feared his daughter was overexerting herself and might cause irreversible damage to her body.
But seeing her still looking quite relaxed, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
'What is going on?'
He couldn't figure it out.
After five hours, the second rotation began, the first group of mages who had started at the beginning returned from their rest to the mountain's summit.
And there they saw her, the duke's daughter.
Still standing beneath Duke Levi, on the glowing magic array, her whole body shone with magical brilliance like a dazzling lamp.
'???'
'Don't you need to rest?'
Indeed, after each group of mages stepped down, Erica secretly drank another potion to keep her mana comfortably replenished.
She felt the astonishment and awe in their eyes, and she was deeply proud of herself.
'Thanks to Professor Viktor's potion, I can still keep going!'
'Father will definitely look at me in a whole new light!'
Just as she was floating in pride, Duke Levi's roar struck her like a hammer.
"Erica! Get down and rest!!!"
Erica, "..."
It was the first time she'd ever seen her father so angry. She was startled, shrank her neck timidly, and obediently went down.
But her reputation had already spread throughout the entire ranks of the second-rank mages.
"Who can understand? That girl's a monster! When I stepped down the first time, she was still there. When I came back the second time, she was still there!"
"You mean Duke Levi's daughter? I saw her too. Her mental power is almost comparable to a third-rank mage's by now…"
"Even that Viktor guy might not measure up to her anymore."
Erica had sharp hearing, and when she caught these whispers of praise, she couldn't help feeling proud.
Some even compared her to Viktor. Hearing that made her secretly thrilled.
But Erica also knew clearly, without those potions, she could never have lasted this long.
Those miraculous potions all came from Professor Viktor's hands…
Thinking of that, all those compliments suddenly felt hollow and ugly to her.
Of course, she couldn't compare to Professor Viktor.
Perhaps, even in her entire life, she would never be able to catch up to his shadow.
"Rooaaarrr!!!"
A deafening roar came again from the mouth of Mount Vesuvius. The rocky slopes began to collapse, and ash swirled through the air, blanketing the land.
The black clouds above the volcano seemed to crack apart, glowing red through their jagged fissures.
The ground trembled, and molten lava churned violently within the volcano.
"Look! What's that!?"
A knight pointed at the sky where burning droplets of rain began to fall.
Countless fire raindrops struck near the crater, and every rock they touched burst apart like an explosion.
All the mages and knights tensed up. The mages quickly drew temporary defensive arrays, and the knights used enchanted tools to empower their armor and silver swords.
Was the volcano about to erupt now?
Suddenly, Erica heard a voice inside her mind, ('It hurts… it hurts…')
"That voice again! What's happening?"
She clearly sensed it coming from the top of the volcano. She desperately wanted to go see it for herself.
'And maybe… Professor Viktor was up there!'
Erica recalled the words of those mages who had insulted him.
She didn't want to believe that Viktor was the one behind the volcano's awakening.
But with the current situation, anyone would suspect him.
Viktor's disappearance… and the volcano's imminent eruption.
'No! I have to find a way to go to the crater and check!'
Thinking this, Erica noticed a nearby group of knights guarding the array.
Among them was the only female knight.
She was beautiful, the second most beautiful woman Erica had ever seen, after her mother.
'The first was the older sister from the Clavenna shop.'
Unlike that sister's gentle charm, this knight exuded a chilling aura, like someone who had walked out of solid ice. Just standing there, she made others instinctively keep their distance.
Unapproachable.
Erica had heard of her, she was the current commander of the Royal Knights, Gwen.
Erica decided to ask this "big sister knight" to let her out.
'If I ask directly to go up to the crater, she'll never agree.'
She paced in place, thinking hard, and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.
Pretending to be anxious, she rushed over to Gwen.
As she hoped, her behavior immediately drew Gwen's attention.
"Um, Miss Knight, I need to go to the restroom. Could you let me leave for a bit?"
"No."
Gwen answered firmly.
"I must ensure everyone's safety here, Miss Erica. Please endure it."
"Ugh… such a cold, rigid knight, only knows how to follow orders."
Erica muttered, puffing her cheeks in frustration, and returned to her spot.
But her anxiety only grew stronger.
The voice from the crater… Viktor's disappearance… it all felt like a warning.
She had to leave and reach the summit.
At that moment, Duke Levi suddenly appeared beside her and patted her on the shoulder.
"Eep!"
Erica trembled like a startled rabbit.
The duke spoke sternly, "My dear, give me an explanation."
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