“？......Is that not the case?”

  “You’re way too carefree...... Listen carefully—”

  “If you let this state persist, not only won’t you recover naturally, but it will even worsen and drain your life force in the future!”

  “No way, is it that serious?”

  “It absolutely is!”

  Irus said with unwavering certainty.

  “......Then what should I do?”

  “Good question. For anyone else, they might really not know how to fix this, but I just so happen to know a place that can solve your problem.”

  “A place? What place?”

  “The Mountains of Mirnabith. You know it, right?”

  “I do.”

  Hulim nodded.

  In fact, it was rare for anyone not to know this mountain range.

  Located at the center of the continent, the Mountains of Mirnabith had been the birthplace and setting of countless legends since the most ancient era.

  One glorious ancient civilization after another had stood at the heart of the world, creating brilliant cultures here.

  For millennia, Mirnabith had been a symbol of the pinnacle of civilization—only the most powerful civilizations of their time could establish themselves in these mountains.

  Most importantly......

  Mirnabith was the closest place in the mortal realm to the Heavenly Realm of Tiramsuin. According to legend, in the distant past, deep within the Mountains of Mirnabith, there was even a passage to ascend to Tiramsuin.

  Thus, Mirnabith was also known as——the Divine Mountain.

  “Why can going to Mirnabith solve my problem?”

  “Well, that has to do with the way to treat your symptom.”

  Irus explained patiently,

  “For your current overload reaction, there’s only one way to alleviate it: immerse your body in a high-concentration mana environment. After all, the overload occurs because your own energy can’t keep up with the demands of your body.”

  “A high-concentration mana environment can drastically increase your mana circulation, thereby relieving the overload. If you stay in such an environment for a long time, the overload will naturally ease, and your body will eventually adapt, leading to a complete cure.”

  “When it comes to high-concentration mana environments, there’s probably no better place in the world than the Mountains of Mirnabith.”

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  “That place is filled with mana far more concentrated than in our usual regions. If you stay there for about a year, you should return to normal.”

  “I see...... But......”

  After listening to Irus’s explanation, Hulim knew she would probably have to go to Mirnabith.

  However, there was one crucial problem to solve first:

  The Mountains of Mirnabith were extremely dangerous!!!

  As Irus had mentioned, the high-concentration mana environment—if you thought about it, could the creatures living in such an environment be ordinary?

  The reality was exactly that. Although Mirnabith was dotted with ancient ruins and treasures, it remained desolate and rarely visited to this day. Only powerful adventurers and scholars dared to set foot there.

  All normal countries and organizations chose to stay far away.

  As for herself,

  even before suffering from the overload, she might not have dared to venture into that area—let alone now......

  “Don’t worry.”

  Irus saw Hulim’s concerns and spoke up.

  “I would never let you go alone. Go back to the academy today, apply for a long-term medical leave of absence, pack your bags, and come here tomorrow.”

  “Someone will accompany you to Mirnabith. With that person around, you won’t have to worry about anything!”

  “Someone will accompany me? Who is it?”

  “You’ll find out tomorrow. For now, go take care of things today.”

  “Alright......”

  Hulim left Irus’s unnamed magic potion shop.

  Irus watched her retreating figure and fell into deep thought.

  “As expected...... You’re the one the forbidden power has been waiting for, Hulim......”

  “You’ve already obtained one of them, but it seems you can’t bear any more for now...... Will I have to take you to Yggdrasil later?”

  “Divine Mountain Mirnabith, I hope you grow faster there......”

  ......

  After returning to the academy, Hulim followed Irus’s instructions and submitted a leave application to Grisa, who approved it without hesitation.

  With the leave permit in hand,

  Hulim went back to her dormitory and began packing her luggage.

  “......Hulim, are you really going to Mirnabith? Can’t I go with you?”

  In the dormitory, Miko said reluctantly.

  “I don’t think that’s possible......? You can’t get a leave of absence either, Miko. And you shouldn’t give up a year of study just to worry about me. Don’t forget, you want to become the strongest in the White Cat Clan in the future, right?”

  “Hmm...... But......”

  Miko looked unwilling, but finally compromised.

  “Alright, since you say so...... I’ll stay at the academy. But!”

  “You must come back! I’ll wait for you here!”

  “Don’t worry!”

  Hulim patted Miko on the head.

  “I’m not going on a one-way trip—I’m just going to recover. In a year, I’ll definitely come back safe and sound. Miko, don’t let your strength stagnate by then~.”

  “I won’t!”

  Miko puffed out her cheeks angrily.

  “Just wait and see, Hulim! In a year, I’ll surprise you!”

  “Oh?”

  Hulim smiled.

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  ......

  The next day, at Irus’s magic potion shop.

  “Are you all packed?”

  Irus asked.

  “Yes.”

  Hulim nodded.

  “Everything’s ready...... But where’s the person you mentioned?”

  Since Hulim, Miko, and Alicia had arrived, they hadn’t seen anyone besides Irus.

  “Him? Look, he’s already here.”

  Following Irus’s pointing finger, the three looked over.

  Jingle! Jingle!

  Two shield-horned beasts loaded with travel supplies walked slowly forward.

  No one rode one of them, while a person sat on the back of the other.

  “Charkin?! ”

  Seeing the person, Hulim was somewhat surprised.

  The person Irus had mentioned was actually the dwarf blacksmith, Charkin Karagon!

  “Yo~! Long time no see, Hulim! I heard you traveled to the south—how did you end up coming back like this?”

  “......”

  “......So you’re the one Irus was talking about?”

  “That’s right, it’s me!”

  Hulim turned her gaze back to Irus.

  Irus explained,

  “I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t force him. It’s just that he recently needs to forge something with Fire Dragon Stone, which can only be mined deep underground in the Mountains of Mirnabith. So I asked him to take you along on the way.”

  “Well, the only thing I ‘forced’ him to do was move up his departure date from next month to now.”

  Charkin shrugged, looking indifferent.

  “Meh...... It’s not really ‘forcing.’ For me, going sooner or later doesn’t matter. Besides, Hulim, you need to go as soon as possible, right?”