To everyone's relief, the volcano did not erupt.

A villager stood still, quietly watching large raindrops fall from the sky above Sanchel Town.

"The volcano... didn't erupt..."

"Thank goodness! It didn't erupt!"

From somewhere in the crowd, a joyous cry erupted, instantly igniting the villagers' emotions of delight.

"Great! There's no disaster!"

"Oh my God! Oh my God! The gods have blessed us!"

"No, no, no! It was the mages from the capital who saved us!"

This rainfall seemed like a miracle, wiping away all danger.

The mages and knights returning to Sanchel Town relaxed their furrowed brows, but their mood didn't lighten. Instead, they felt incredibly heavy.

Everyone remained silent, like walking marionettes.

The uninformed townspeople left the safe zone and returned to their town, thanking these 'heroes' who had 'saved' them.

However, not a single mage could proudly say "You're welcome" when facing them.

They hadn't saved these innocent residents. In fact, they themselves had nearly perished on the volcano.

Yes, it was a close call.

The magic array was never activated in the end.

If the volcano had fully erupted at that time,

All the mages sent from the capital would have perished under that apocalyptic lava.

Under this heavy rain, residents gradually returned to their homes.

The army began to send the mages back to the capital. Duke Levi stood in the downpour, allowing the storm to beat against his face.

Until the last batch of mages left, Count Beck glanced at Duke Levi from afar and shook his head.

"Farewell, Duke."

He almost forced himself to say these last words, his tone clearly dissatisfied, his hand on the cane somewhat unsteady.

"Duke Levi, I understand your love for your daughter."

"But before acting recklessly, please consider your position."

"After returning to the capital this time, you may face impeachment from many ministers. Please take care of yourself."

With that, the noble mage boarded his carriage and left under the army's escort.

Throughout, Duke Levi never raised his head to respond.

The surrounding knights worried that Duke Levi might fall ill in this heavy rain, as mages' bodies weren't as robust as theirs.

So they called out to him:

"Your Grace, please get in the carriage and wait. Knight Commander Gwen is searching for your daughter."

Duke Levi didn't respond, standing in the wind and rain, silent for a long time.

His eyes were blank and lifeless.

Suddenly, a silver figure appeared in the stormy night sky, like a dawn suddenly breaking through the darkness.

She was carrying a golden-haired girl in her arms.

Duke Levi saw this, and in an instant, hope rekindled in his eyes.

Gwen brought Erica to Duke Levi and handed her over.

"Mission accomplished, Your Grace."

Duke Levi's trembling hands received Erica, holding her in his arms, his eyes full of shock and pain.

"Erica, Erica..."

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Perhaps it was the faint call that woke Erica. She slowly opened her eyes, saw her familiar father, and managed a weak smile.

"Dad, I'm back."

At this moment, this man of high rank and power in the Valencia Empire shed tears.

He had once stood tall and proud, yet failed to protect his own daughter.

He was filled with shame.

Duke Levi hugged his daughter tightly, but was met with her pained whimper.

Only then did he notice the many burns on Erica's body. Panicked, he tried to heal his daughter with magic, but to little effect.

Not all mages could be as abnormal as Viktor, mastering hundreds of spells and using them proficiently.

Duke Levi's healing magic could only cure minor injuries; he was utterly powerless against his daughter's severe burns.

He looked around anxiously, trying to find a mage skilled in healing, but around him, apart from the knights standing at attention, where were there any mages?

Seeing Duke Levi's anxious state, Gwen hesitated for a moment, then took out a vial of crimson potion.

The potion looked almost like blood, red with a hint of black, emitting a faint glow.

This was a healing potion Viktor had given her, but she had never used it.

She didn't know how effective it would be.

But if Erica wasn't treated promptly, her injuries might leave permanent after-effects.

They had to take a chance.

She gritted her teeth. At this moment, Gwen believed Viktor wouldn't deceive her.

"Your Grace, why don't you try this?"

"If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility."

Gwen handed over the potion. The anxious Duke took it quickly, then paused when he saw the color of the potion.

Could a potion the color of blood really be drunk?

But there was no other choice now; Erica's injuries couldn't wait.

He opened the cork and gently brought it to Erica's lips, casually asking:

"Where did you get this potion?"

"It's... from my fiancé."

As the potion flowed into Erica's mouth, Duke Levi's hand trembled slightly.

Gwen Delin's fiancé?

"Viktor Kravina?"

"Yes."

Gwen lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly. She knew there was some friction between the Duke and Viktor, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

Just then, a miracle occurred.

Erica, having drunk the potion, seemed to be blessed by the Goddess of Healing.

The burns on her body healed at a visible rate.

It was as if new flesh and skin were growing, her skin returning to its previous creamy smoothness.

The Duke was completely stunned.

First the blue magic potion, and now this crimson healing potion...

What was this terrifying effect all about?

Gwen likewise stared wide-eyed, amazed at what was unfolding.

She had never used that potion before, never imagining its effect could be so astonishing.

With such a terrifying recovery effect, one could probably be revived even after losing half their life, right?

However, despite her injuries healing, Erica didn't open her eyes.

Her spirit was utterly exhausted; it had already been a miracle that she woke up once in the Duke's arms.

As the pain disappeared, she could finally fall into a peaceful sleep.

Duke Levi personally put Erica in the carriage to rest. When he came out, he bowed deeply to Gwen.

"I sincerely thank you, Knight Commander Gwen."

"Please allow me to properly thank you and your fiancé when we return to the capital."

Hearing the Duke's words, Gwen felt somewhat overwhelmed by the honor.

She watched as the now composed Duke Levi boarded the carriage. The carriage slowly moved off, gradually leaving with the surrounding troops.

Gwen took a deep breath, turned her head, and looked at the unclaimed white horse in the stable.

It was still quietly eating grass at the post station, completely unaware that Viktor, who had ridden it here, had disappeared.

'Viktor, where on earth did you go?'

The heavy rain showed no signs of stopping. She put on her helmet to shield herself from the wind and rain, then mounted her horse.

Before leaving, she took one last look at the lone white horse.

'If you still have a conscience, if you still remember me, then ride that horse back to find me.'

'It won't die, at least not before seeing me again.'

She turned her horse around and led her knights forward.

After the clanking of armor and the noise of hooves trampling through mud faded away, Sanchel Town returned to peace.

.......

After the baptism of a heavy rain, the sun broke through the gloom, leaving a clear sky for miles.

In a few days, the residents of Sanchel Town returned to their normal lives.

It seemed everyone had forgotten those terrifying days from before.

However, it wasn't so peaceful at the entrance of the post station.

"Hey, that white horse looks really good. Why don't you give it to me, huh?"

A burly man with a potbelly stood at the front of the post station, glaring fiercely at the station manager.

They had had their eyes on that white horse for the past few days. Several days had passed, and no one had come to claim it, so they assumed the horse had no owner.

But the manager was stubborn, completely refusing their unreasonable demands:

"A knight paid a hefty price for us to take good care of this horse."

The big man laughed loudly: "Those people from the capital left four or five days ago. This horse has been abandoned."

"That's right! Our boss definitely didn't misjudge!"

Several lackeys around him chimed in.

"If you offer a higher price than her, I'll agree."

The manager made a suggestion, looking contemptuously at these reckless troublemakers.

The big man and his cronies looked at each other, then asked, "How much did she pay you?"

"This many."

The manager waved five fingers in front of them.

"Fifty? Hahaha! I'll give you a hundred!"

The manager shook his head. The big man hesitated for a moment and continued asking:

"Five hundred?"

The manager said nothing, continuing to stare at them.

"It's five thousand."

When he said this number, the men exploded in anger.

"You bastard! You want to sell us a fucking horse for five thousand geos?"

"Are you trying to extort us?"

With that, they rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight. The manager covered his face with his hands and shrank back.

The fist didn't land on him. Instead, he heard a scream.

He moved his hands away and widened his eyes in disbelief.

He saw a giant hand wrapped in lava lifting up their leader.

The big man suddenly found himself airborne, completely bewildered.

He didn't even know what had happened.

The lackeys were terrified. They followed the giant hand with their eyes to its source: a man wearing a trench coat.

There was also a strange one-eyed crow perched on his shoulder, chirping away.

Behind him extended an arm seemingly made of lava.

The black trench coat was decorated with red patterns, within which lava seemed to flow constantly.

"That's my horse. Do you have a problem with that?"