Chapter 22: We’re Both Girls, You Must Understand


    Duke Levi appeared behind Erica, his hand on her shoulder, his face extremely stern.


    Seeing her father suddenly appear behind her, Erica felt a bit nervous.


    She thought her n to sneak away had been discovered.


    Her eyes wandered as she pondered her next move, but then she heard Duke Levi ask:


    "Exin to me, how were you able to persist on the magical array for so long earlier?"


    Hearing Duke Levi''s question, Erica immediately breathed a sigh of relief.


    Her tense smile also rxed.


    "Oh, it''s about that."


    Erica moved behind the duke, saying mysteriously: "It''s because I have a treasure!"


    "A treasure?"


    Duke Levi was puzzled. What kind of treasure could have such an astonishing effect, making Erica''s spiritual power so strong?


    Erica proudly told her father:


    "It''s something from Professor Viktor."


    "What? Viktor''s?"


    Hearing this name, Duke Levi was truly bewildered.


    He certainly knew Viktor was a genius, having be a professor at such a young age.


    Has Viktor already created an item that could increase spiritual power?


    No, that''s not the point!


    The point is, why did Viktor''s item end up in Erica''s hands?


    Did Viktor give this kind of thing to Erica? Was it to curry favor with her?


    Duke Levi suddenly became furious, feeling a fire ''whoosh'' up inside him.


    "Damn Viktor, you''re still thinking about Erica!"


    He wished he could wring that bastard Viktor''s head off right now!


    Daring to covet his precious daughter, he must be taught the meaning of consequences!


    But then, he suddenly felt something was amiss. Didn''t Erica really dislike Viktor?


    Howe she now seemed so proud when mentioning Viktor!?


    The more Duke Levi thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Viktor was deceiving his daughter.


    Seeing Duke Levi like this, Erica took out a small blue potion from her bag.


    "What''s this?"


    Duke Levi curiously asked, seeing the potion she took out.


    He had never seen a blue potion like this before.


    "This was bought from Professor Viktor''s item shop, and it only cost 1,000 Geo per bottle!"


    Duke Levi: "....."


    Misunderstanding cleared.


    He had thought Viktor was seducing Erica at the academy.


    Now it seemed it wasn''t as he had imagined.


    He looked at the potion in Erica''s hand and suddenly froze.


    "Wait!"


    "Erica, how much did you say this thing costs?"


    Duke Levi doubted if his ears were ying tricks on him. 1,000 Geo, he must have heard wrong.


    Erica puffed out her chest, proudly repeating: "1,000 Geo!"


    Duke Levi: "....."


    When did he raise such a spendthrift daughter?


    Never mind, never mind, this is his daughter, his own flesh and blood, his own flesh and blood.


    Duke Levi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and forced out a smile, saying to Erica with a stiff expression:


    "Daddy doesn''t remember ever teaching you to waste money like this."


    Hearing her father say this, Erica immediately retorted:


    "I''m not wasting money at all!"


    "Your spiritual power is no longer sufficient to sustain the array, right?"


    Duke Levi nodded.


    Just as Erica said, although countless second-tier mages were providing magical power, his own spiritual power was alreadyrgely depleted, and he could onlye down to rest.


    This was something no mage could avoid.


    Even with a body full of powerful magic, if spiritual power was insufficient, magical power couldn''t be mobilized, arrays couldn''t be arranged, runes couldn''t be carved, and magic couldn''t be released.


    If someone could continuously cast magic for three days and three nights without copsing...


    Well, there''s nothing more to say, just challenge them to a duel right away.


    Even boasting shouldn''t be so far-fetched.


    Although that''s what he thought, Levi still remembered Erica''s heroic figure continuously supplying magical power on the array for five hours.


    Could it be rted to this thing?


    "Try this."


    Erica opened the potion''s cap and handed it to her father.


    Duke Levi frowned at the small bottle of blue potion, feeling somewhat resistant. It didn''t look like anything good.


    "This... liquid... looks like industrial wastewater full of dye."


    Could this possibly taste good?


    "Hurry up and drink it!"


    Erica urged him impatiently.


    Hearing his daughter''s urging, Duke Levi swallowed it down, suppressing his resistance.


    Whoosh!


    A faint blue light appeared on his body.


    Almost instantly, his internal spiritual power recovered by a small half.


    It was enough to support him to continue casting spells.


    He felt his fatigued spirit instantly be much lighter.


    Duke Levi rubbed his forehead, the previous fatigue almost entirely dissipated.


    As a high-level mage who had been immersed in the third tier for over thirty years, he naturally understood how astonishing the effect of this thing was.


    Taking advantage of the moment when no one was around, he quickly pocketed the now empty bottle, lowered himself to protect Erica, and whispered in her ear:


    "Don''t let this get out, at least, not now!"


    "Tell daddy, how many bottles do you have left?"


    Erica counted on her fingers.


    She had bought ten bottles in total, wasted one at home to test its effect, consumed four while continuously releasing magic on the array, and her father just drank one to restore his spiritual power, so there were...


    "Four bottles left."


    Duke Levi grabbed Erica''s shoulders, lowered his head, and said seriously.


    "Keep this a secret until we return to the capital."


    "If this gets out now, it might attract the covetous eyes of ill-intentioned people."


    "You can''t handle this thing, give it to daddy, daddy can handle it!"


    Hearing her father speak like this, Erica sighed and shook her head:


    "No way, I spent a lot of my pocket money to buy these."


    "I''ll double your pocket money when we get home!"


    "Deal."


    Erica thought to herself:


    ''Anyway, this was made by Professor Viktor. When I see him at the academy, I can just ask him to make some more.''


    ''Professor Viktor should agree to my request... right?''


    Feeling like she had made quite a profit from her father, Erica was in a very good mood, so she readily handed over three bottles to Duke Levi.


    If it weren''t for her father saying that she should keep one bottle with her just in case, she would have given them all away.


    Duke Levi hugged the potions and carefully left.


    Seeing her father''s somewhatical appearance, Erica couldn''t help butugh.


    Duke Levi quickly returned to the mountainside and stood on the grand array again, continuing to release magical power to construct the formation.


    Several third-tier mages who were still resting saw Duke Levi climb the mountain again.


    They couldn''t help but ask:


    "Lord Duke, don''t you need to rest?"


    Duke Levi turned to look at them, showing a kind smile: "Hmm, my spiritual power is still sufficient. You rest first, I can maintain the grand array myself."


    ???


    Again?


    The several third-tier mages whose magical power was exhausted were stunned on the spot.


    Just now it was your daughter standing there for five hours without budging, and now you''re up there and won''te down?


    Is your entire Du Croy family full of freaks?


    At this moment, Erica was extremely happy. If it weren''t for getting the duke out of the way, she wouldn''t have given away the potions even if her pocket money had increased tenfold.


    She wanted to go to the mountaintop, and at this point, she could only try her luck with Gwen.


    So, Erica returned to Gwen, pretending to be shy as she said: "Sister, I can''t hold it anymore!"


    "We''re both girls, sister, you must understand me."


    Erica looked at Gwen with teary eyes, pleading.


    Gwen thought for a moment, and suddenly, her face turned slightly red.


    She seemed to understand what Erica was talking about.


    However, had that time of the monthe for her today?


    This kind of thing concerns a girl''s dignity. Gwen thought about it and had to agree to Erica''s request.


    Erica''s reason was indeed hard to refuse.


    Erica was very happy at first, almost jumping up, but remembering what she had just said, she could only pretend to still be in unbearable pain.


    Then she heard Gwen say: "For your safety, I will apany you."


    Erica immediately deted.


    With such a powerful knight captain by her side, her chances of escaping under her nose were slim.


    But Erica hadn''t given up yet. As long as she found an opportunity, she could still get away!


    Soon, the two came to an uninhabited area.


    The volcano''s surface was all t ground, with hardly any cover to be found.


    They finally found a rock that could barely provide some cover.


    Erica''s eyes darted around, and with a red face, she asked Gwen to move away a bit, saying she was a bit shy.


    Gwen was puzzled for a moment, then said: "We''re both girls, what''s there to be shy about?"


    Nevertheless, she stepped back a few paces.


    Erica crouched behind the rock, about to make the motion of taking off her pants, when she looked up and met Gwen''s eyes.


    She felt somewhat indignant and said to Gwen from afar: "Can you turn your head away and not look at me?"


    Gwen: "....."


    She silently stepped back a few more paces, then turned her head away.


    If she didn''t want to look, fine, it''s all the same anyway.


    In this brief moment of turning her head, a blue light shone on the volcano. Gwen just caught the edge of the faint blue light and instantly turned her head back.


    The teleportation array had already formed, and Erica''s body stepped into it, smiling and waving at Gwen.


    "Tell my father I''ll return safely."


    Gwen rushed forward, reaching out to stop her, but the distance was too great, and she couldn''t make it in time.


    Whoosh!


    Erica''s figure instantly disappeared.


    Gwen grasped at empty air, lowering her head to look at the ground, muttering:


    "Teleportation... magic?"


    Where could she have gone?


    Gwen recalled Erica''s initial inquiry.


    "Who was that mage?"


    Viktor Kravina.


    This name suddenly shed in her mind, and her gaze quickly turned towards the mountaintop.


    The next second, it was as if a whirlwind had risen beneath her feet, and she sprinted towards the summit at an extremely fast speed.