Chapter 80

Saint Mathia harbored a pain akin to anguish deep within her mind.

She was certain that this was not something that could be treated by herself or a doctor.

"...Karia, please, I beg of you, don't run away in the middle of the night."

For the source of this pain was being generated by the person standing before her. Before Mathia could sigh, Karia, with her silver hair swaying, spoke.

"Why?"

"The one who chokes me is, and will always be, only me. Therefore, how I think and act is entirely my own business."

The silver light emanating from her eyes shone brightly in the night room, clearly stating that her words were not lies or spoken in the heat of the moment. Her smooth silver hair, parted into two, stood up as if she were a lion about to pounce on its prey.

"And the right to choke him is mine. I have waited long enough in this mansion, as you have said."

Mathia's eyelids flickered, and her eyes narrowed. This was indeed a fact, as this was not the first time they had engaged in such a conversation. In fact, it had become so frequent that it was tedious to count.

However, even so, she could not afford to take risks in this situation. Mathia, with her exhausted voice, had to persuade Karia.

In the past, the elves of Gazaria and the sigilists had formed an alliance, which was not a lie.

The sigilists had shown respect to the elves, who had lived long and accumulated wisdom. The elves welcomed those who interacted with them out of respect, not prejudice or desire.

Most importantly, the elves and humans had deeply cooperated in their pursuit of the ancient era.

Of course, that was in the distant past.

Now, with Finn taking the lead and the Great Holy Church forming an alliance, the majority of the elves no longer looked back on the past.

Thus, those who still interacted with sigilists and valued wisdom were called the "ancient ones" among the elves.

Now, Saint Mathia was being sheltered in one of the mansions owned by these "ancient ones."

"We should wait for the right time. If the soldiers from Galarist are coming here, he won't be killed until then. It's meaningless to confront the state of Gazaria without a plan."

"I understand what you mean, but that's the thinking of a weakling."

Karia leaned forward involuntarily, and the long sword at her waist wobbled. The emotion in her eyes was either anger or arrogance.

Mathia involuntarily swallowed her saliva.

What was going on? Karia, the person before her, had indeed placed some emphasis on her own strength, but she had never been so arrogant. At least, not when Lugis was around.

The pain in her head worsened. It felt as if the seed had sprouted and was ravaging her insides. Such a ridiculous thought crossed Mathia's mind.

"Besides, if you're worried, shouldn't you be more concerned about that magician rather than me?"

Saying this, Karia looked towards the hallway leading to the entrance.

Mathia's eyes followed, and she instinctively pressed her forehead to ease the pain.

She also felt like saying that this, like Karia, was undoubtedly a source of worry.

Fiara La Borgograd. Unlike Karia, she did not rush out, but she waited at the entrance. She probably waited for him to return.

She waited in front of the entrance door without returning to her room, which made her more tired and mentally drained.

Indeed, dark circles had formed under her eyes. She might not have slept at all. She waited like a loyal servant.

Mathia had once told her to stop, saying it would be better to be in top condition when helping him.

But when she finally spoke,

"But if I turn my back on the door, Lugis might come back."

And she returned to the door again.

The wisdom and quick thinking she had shown before seemed to have disappeared, and her persistent waiting was now almost frightening.

Karia, who might rush out at any moment, and Fiara, who might collapse, were sources of worry that collided and caused pain in Mathia's mind.

"Anyway, please wait a little longer. The elves are not a monolith. We are working to chip away at the rock. If we move rashly now, we will have to put our hands around his neck."

It was the usual, standard line. Until now, it had worked to make her back down, but it was uncertain if it would work on Karia this time.

Mathia had not anticipated that things would come to this. She had recognized that Karia and Fiara had a bond with Lugis that went beyond mere closeness.

However, the moment he was lost, the situation had become so chaotic that she could not take her eyes off them.

As a result, Mathia had been sleep-deprived for several days. Of course, she was not just worried about these two. She had been running around, trying to secure the survival of the sigilists and the cooperation of the elves.

In this effort to sustain the sigilists, Karia and Fiara were undoubtedly indispensable forces, even essential as front-line and rear-line support.

In fact, Mathia personally wanted to keep them in Galar Maria. But now, bringing them along had been both right and wrong.

In any case, she could not afford to lose them here. To achieve this, she had to recover the key, which was undoubtedly Lugis. The options were narrowing.

How frustrating. Mathia involuntarily distorted her eyelids and narrowed her eyes.

That man, Lugis, after causing her so much trouble, what would he say when he returned? An apology, perhaps? A thank you?

No, he would probably say nothing. He was just not considerate. Mathia could easily imagine the scene.

She would try to console Karia with some words. She would try to encourage Fiara with some words. But those words would not be for her. They would not be for her.

Mathia suddenly came to her senses and sighed deeply. What was she so flustered about? She was supposed to judge everything with reason and wisdom. It was unlike her to be swayed by emotions.

While trying to stop Karia, who was about to leave the room with her silver hair fluttering, a loud knocking sound echoed at the entrance.

First, a loud knock, then two soft ones.

It was undoubtedly the visit of an elf ally.

"Saint, good news. The tower has moved. The time to break the rock has come."

The six eyes widened at the low, resonant voice.