Chapter 172

“Why so? Didn’t you win?”

Grisha, who found herself constrained by chains, raised her head and offered a smile, yet Lennok’s countenance remained unmoved.

“Let’s stop it already. Isn’t it a waste of your mana?”

“Damn, I was planning to tease you more, but you’re no fun since you catch on so quickly.”

In that instant, Grisha, who had been shackled, saw her form crumble, and she stepped out from right behind it, her visage unharmed.

Observing this, Lennok calmly produced a fresh cigarette.

It’s not particularly astonishing.

Even when he had chained her ankle and initiated the first attack, Grisha had completely broken free from the gravitational pull and appeared from a completely different location.

He had been skeptical when he first saw it, but after a second observation, he could clearly understand.

‘She’s bending perception by channeling a tremendous amount of mana into space... This isn’t something I can replicate.’

An extraordinarily powerful amount of mana, and a blunt method that couldn’t even be attempted without an equally powerful output.Finnd new chapters on nove/lbin(.)com

It might not be without skill, but it far exceeds the cost-effectiveness of any spellcraft Lennok had considered.

“Shall we start the second round then? This time, let’s keep hitting each other until one of us passes out.”

Lennok responded sarcastically as she stepped forward, boosting her mana.

“Why should I?”

“What?”

“You think I’ll get angry or flustered if you keep provoking me like this? When you’re this blatant, it actually makes me less likely to get upset.”

At that moment, Grisha closed her mouth for the first time.

Lennok looked down at her and spoke calmly.

“The first time could have been a coincidence, but when several signs overlap, it’s close to inevitable. Amon’s subtle attitude was probably part of it too.”

There had been many indicators.

In the first few days after arriving in the autonomous region, the elemental Davi had continuously felt someone’s gaze on him.

Lapis descended from the communal altar and approached Lennok.

A petite stature that barely reached Lennok’s chest, suggesting her youth.

Lapis looked up at Lennok, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered her head.

“I apologize. I had intended to explain everything after all this is over, but it’s not going so smoothly.”

“Go on.”

“I agree with what Evan said. Originally, I was planning to shake Evan with Grisha’s help and confirm the truth with my own eyes during the commotion.”

“...”

“Under this lighthouse, the ability of the Celestial Sight becomes stronger. Nevertheless, I found nothing inside you, Evan.”

Without any excuses, Lapis candidly admitted all of this.

Grisha and Amon silently accepted her decision from the side.

A complete change of attitude compared to earlier when they had disregarded Lapis, a sign that at least the chaotic spellcaster acknowledged her as a supervisor of the lighthouse.

While Lennok was gauging the reactions around him, Lapis continued.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but recently, the momentum of the Pandemonium has been unusual. Especially, there are rumors that they’re secretly approaching talented wizards like Evan.”

“So you needed to hastily verify my trustworthiness?”

Lennok tilted his head and replied. Smoke billowed from his mouth, dissipating into the cold air of the hall.

“That’s not a convincing excuse. If you want to persuade me, you’ll need a better reason.”

“...”

“As it stands, I don’t see a significant difference between you and the Pandemonium.”

“It’s not different.”

Lapis calmly acknowledged that blunt fact.

Now it was Lennok’s turn to fall silent.

“...”

“Not different. In an age where even the Ascendants have