Chapter 70

The gale that had swept in every direction died down before long.

Mikhail stood at the center of the settling dust, coughed through the grit, and looked ahead.

The Guardian Tree remained where it had always been, unchanged.

Tekuros lay stretched across the ground as though every last drop of will and strength had been wrung from its body.

"……."

Mikhail crossed the quieted earth and walked toward Tekuros.

Before long, he crouched in front of the massive head slumped against the dirt.

Hssss… hsssss.

Perhaps it sensed him. Tekuros let out a sharp, wary breath and flinched, its whole body tensing at the approach.

But Mikhail said nothing and simply looked the creature over.

Deep, ugly wounds—left where the crystals had shattered—covered its body from end to end.

Crack. Snap.

A jarring sound cut through the air. Mikhail's eyes found its source: the ridge between Tekuros's eyes.

A fist-sized golden crystal was forcing its way through the dense scales—one final, desperate surge.

Persistent to the bitter end.

Mikhail let out a low sigh and reached toward the emerging crystal.

If this were Ethan, he could've carved out just the affected area without inflicting a fatal wound.

Mikhail didn't have that kind of precision. But he had something else.

Grrrr.

Tekuros growled in warning, its pupil sliding to lock onto Mikhail's face—

Tszzzzz…

Dark energy bled from Mikhail's hand.

His Abyss-born mana crept over the crystal as it tried to grow, smothering it layer by layer.

Then, at last, hairline fractures webbed across its surface.

CLINK!

A sound like shattering glass—and that was the end of it.

The crystal splintered into nothing, and no new growth followed.

Mikhail gazed at the hollow wound between its eyes and spoke quietly.

"Tekuros. This is all I can do for you."

"……."

"But you'll heal soon. There's nothing left to torment you anymore. And besides—"

Rustle.

Mikhail lifted his head. The Guardian Tree's sprawling canopy fluttered overhead, its leaves dancing softly above him.

It almost looked like they were reaching down to soothe the wounds below.

"……."

Mikhail lowered his gaze again.

He rested his hand on the face of Tekuros, who watched him in silence, and let a faint smile cross his lips.

"Your friend will help, too."

Beneath his palm, Tekuros grew still.

Its ragged breathing gentled by slow degrees, and its eyelids drifted shut. It didn't move again.

Seeing how quickly it had found peace, Mikhail pushed himself to his feet.

"—Mikhail!"

"Kang! Kang!"

That was when voices rang out from behind him.

He turned to find Julien and Nelia, with Han and Ul, all sprinting toward him and gasping for air.

Their strides closed the gap in seconds.

Before long, the three of them—and the two foxes—stood face to face.

"……."

A storm of emotions churned across Julien's expression, too tangled to name.

Mikhail looked at him and flashed a decidedly smug grin.

"See? Told you nothing would happen."

Julien had been staring holes through his face. He let out a long, deflating breath and dropped his head.

Mikhail watched him in silence. It lasted only a moment, but in the glance that passed between them, he caught the reddened rims of Julien's eyes.

"—Whoa, ow ow ow! I seriously thought I was gonna pass out!"

That was when it happened. A loud, crystal-clear groan echoed across the hilltop, and Mikhail turned toward the edge.

Edwin had released his white-knuckled grip on the sword and collapsed to the ground where he stood.

"Uuugh… I never want to see a giant snake again. Ever. I've still got goosebumps. My hands won't stop shaking!"

The stream of whining drew scattered laughter from every direction.

Julien, who'd been huddled with his head bowed, laughed. Nelia, who'd been standing wide-eyed, laughed too.

A thin smile settled onto Mikhail's face as well.

RRRUMBLE…

In that instant, the ground trembled. Mikhail turned back toward the Guardian Tree.

Tekuros—who had been lying flat against the earth—was stirring again.

Alarmed movements and tense voices erupted from the group behind him.

"Wh-what! Why's it moving aga—"

"Shh."

Mikhail raised a hand to hold them back. Without a word, he watched Tekuros in silence.

The wounded creature shifted its body inch by inch, then turned its gaze and fixed both eyes on Mikhail.

"……."

There was no hostility in that look. Tekuros simply stared and blinked—slowly, deliberately.

Mikhail knew this was how Tekuros expressed gratitude.

"……."

He answered the same way, closing and opening his eyes in return.

Tekuros turned its head and burrowed into the earth.

A deep rumble rolled through the ground, and the last glimpse of its tail slid into gentle darkness before everything fell silent.

Fssshhh.

The Guardian Tree rustled its leaves and breathed out a soft wind, and from the earth beneath it, a faint green glow began to rise.

The newly formed current scattered its gentle light as it gathered into Mikhail's left hand.

【Notice: Item collection effect has been applied.】

Mikhail looked down at his palm. Resting there was a single orb, glowing a warm, living green.

〈Item: Earth Core Imbued with Budding Life〉

[A crystallized essence carrying the immutable nature of earth itself. Across ages untold, the land has never wavered in its role—nurturing life and coaxing it into bloom. The power dwelling within this orb inherits that nature in part, shielding and protecting its owner.]

At the same time, new system messages rose into view.

【Notice: The manifested power and application of [Natural Element: Earth] and [Natural Element: Wind] are being learned by your mana.】

【Notice: [Natural Element: Earth] and [Natural Element: Wind] have been imbued into your mana, activating elemental usage.】

【Stat Change Notice】

• Mana Capacity: C+ → B- (tier increase)

• Impact Reduction: D → D+ (tier increase)

---

A day passed.

Once the Guardian Tree stopped scattering its power, the sleeping sickness that had blanketed Colton Winery vanished without a trace.

Starting with Security Captain Bant opening his eyes, the villagers who'd been trapped in deep sleep woke one by one.

The relief at the sudden crisis lifting was immense, and the village reclaimed its stability and energy.

Click.

It was early afternoon inside his quarters. Mikhail latched his packed bag shut.

The carriage back to the academy would arrive shortly.

"……."

He surveyed the room—tidied back to the same state as when he'd first walked in—then faced forward.

Everything he needed to take seemed accounted for. Including the new abilities he'd gained.

Mikhail lowered his eyes and raised one hand.

Fzzt.

The mana that appeared above his palm was a deep blue sphere. He moved his hand in a slow, deliberate arc.

The mana shifted shape with every gesture.

Fzzt.

When he curled his fingers inward, it compressed into a diamond-shaped crystal.

〈Mana Element: Earth〉

[A natural element carrying the attribute of earth. The user can expend mana to partially replicate earthen forms, activating the properties of [Solidification] and [Hardening].]

When he spread them wide, it rippled into a drifting haze.

〈Mana Element: Wind〉

[A natural element carrying the attribute of wind. The user can expend mana to partially replicate wind forms, activating the properties of [Dispersion] and [Swiftness].]

Knock-knock-knock.

That was when someone rapped on the door. Mikhail scattered the mana from his hand, turned, and walked to the entrance.

Click.

Julien stood on the other side. He smiled brightly and spoke.

"Let's go. They said we need to leave now if we want to catch the carriage."

Mikhail nodded and grabbed the bag from behind him. Once outside, they met up with Edwin and headed for the main square.

"Oh, there you are! Right on time!"

Mikhail's group had just reached the platform near the square.

A single carriage stood waiting, and beside it—surrounded by parcels of every size at their feet—Bant and Nelia waved them over.

Mikhail let a small smile settle on his face and walked toward them.

"Captain Bant. I'm glad to see you back on your feet."

"It's all thanks to you lot. Catching the pickpocket, solving the sleeping sickness—all of it. I would've loved to keep you longer, let you relax and enjoy yourselves, but…"

"We're short on time. But I'll definitely come back to visit."

Bant broke into a hearty grin at that and nodded with gusto.

Meanwhile, Nelia had apparently finished loading all the parcels into the carriage. She hopped down from the passenger compartment and walked over.

Mikhail turned to her and spoke.

"Nelia. You really went above and beyond. I heard you handled all the cleanup afterward."

"It was nothing, really. Filling in the cracked ground was tough, but we got lucky—a cool breeze kept blowing the whole time."

Nelia answered in a light, easy tone, then stepped one pace closer to Mikhail.

A soft curve formed on her lips as she spoke.

"And… thank you. When the hillside was collapsing, if you hadn't helped me, I would've been seriously hurt."

Mikhail answered with a smile instead of words.

Then he turned his head to the side, where the horses snorted and stamped while the coachman climbed into the front seat.

Mikhail looked back at Bant and Nelia and spoke.

"We should get going. Captain Bant. Nelia. Thank you for everything. Stay well until we meet again."

"Absolutely. I'll be looking forward to it."

"Make sure you come back. Next time, I'll have a batch of extra-sweet ground olive jam ready for you."

At Nelia's parting shot, Julien managed an awkward laugh behind them and Edwin cleared his throat with a conspicuous cough.

Mikhail dipped his head in a polite bow to the two of them and climbed aboard.

Before long, the carriage carrying three people and two foxes lurched into motion.

"Safe travels! And take care on the road!"

"Goodbye!"

Mikhail leaned toward the window and waved for a long time as the two figures shrank into the distance.

Then something caught his eye—a teal fragment of light, drifting and fluttering toward the open window.

Fwooosh—

Mikhail opened the window and caught the floating shard.

What landed in his hand was a single leaf, its tip marked with a white speckle that gave off a particularly vivid, crystalline glow.

Now that he thought about it, there was a saying—that if you placed a message on the first white-speckled leaf to bloom from the Guardian Tree of Wind…

It would carry your words wherever you wished them to go.

"……."

Mikhail smiled softly and tucked the leaf inside his coat.

A sudden breeze swept in and grazed his cheek, cool and refreshing.

---

Clop-clop. Clatter.

Sunset bled across the sky above.

Inside the carriage rolling away from Colton Winery, the steady rhythm of hoofbeats filled the air.

Rustle.

Mikhail had been scanning the mission completion documents Bant had prepared, but soon lifted his eyes.

Across from him, Edwin and Julien were untying the gift parcels and chatting back and forth.

"First time in my life I've wanted to refuse a gift. One, two, three, five… how many of these are there? Just carrying them over here took forever."

"Oh, come on—every single one of these is incredibly rare. Colton Winery specialties are the kind of thing people can't buy even when they want to."

"Kang! Kang!"

Han and Ul barked as if backing Julien up.

Julien flashed the siblings a grin, then reached deep into the pile of parcels.

Clink.

When his hand emerged, it held an elegant wooden box.