Published: August 10, 2026
Even after staining the foundation, and even after redrawing the boundary lines in the real Jurgenschmidt rather than in a textbook, I still had mana left. Before leaving the library, I had poured mana into every magic tool I could find, yet I still had about a quarter left. No matter how I looked at it, this was abnormal. At this rate, I had no idea how I was supposed to use up all my mana.
"Lord Ferdinand, I'm happy I passed, but my mana didn't run dry. What should I do?"
After sending Eglantine and Anastasius and the others off to retrieve Gervasio, I moved from the door in the back of the Central Building to the detached palace, then rode on Ferdinand's Mount to head to Arensbach's gathering grounds. The mana registered in the Mount's mana stone was too different from the divine power of the gods I had now, so I couldn't use Little Lesser. It was a shame, since using a Mount would let me spend mana little by little.
"Considering your activity level today and your physical condition, I would like to use a healing potion before you sleep, but unless your mana is depleted, that does not seem possible. We have to use up your mana as quickly as possible, or your stamina will run out first. We'll have to try one thing after another. We need to verify whether simply supplying mana without reciting a blessing incantation is fine, or whether merely taking part in the ritual itself is dangerous."
If there was no problem so long as I didn't recite the blessing incantation, then this would be much easier to solve. To conduct that test, we had come to Arensbach's gathering grounds. The nobles who had been in the detached palace came with us so they could gather materials.
"This is in terrible condition."
Probably because it had been completely neglected and left unmanaged, Arensbach's gathering grounds looked like they would yield only meager materials. I stared, wide-eyed. It was far too different from Ehrenfest's gathering grounds. At this rate, even the students would struggle to gather the materials used in lectures.
"I thought most other territories had already learned how to heal their land..."
"That's only the high-ranking territories. The middle and lower ranking territories that lost out likely know how to heal it, but don't have enough mana to do so. In Arensbach's case, it's the result of Dietlinde's hostility toward the royal family and toward you, combined with negligence."
With a snort, Ferdinand ordered the Arensbach knights and civil officials other than his close aides to remain in the air, then descended to the gathering grounds.
This was such a neglected gathering place that hardly any demonic beasts even appeared. Restoring this place would probably take a fair amount of mana. I remembered using a healing potion the first time I healed Ehrenfest's gathering grounds, and I put my hopes in how much mana I'd lose this time.
"Rozemyne, let's begin."
"Yes."
With Gretia and Clarissa removing the silver cloth, I knelt on the ground and placed both hands on it. Mana flowed into the magic circle embedded in the gathering grounds, and the circle glowed green as it rose up into view.
"Any change in the divine power of the gods?"
"None in particular. But at this rate, the magic circle will only rise and the land won't be healed. It seems the blessing incantation is necessary."
"I'll recite it. You continue to pour mana."
Ferdinand said that and began offering prayers to Flutlene. The magic circle activated and, while emitting green light, slowly rose higher and higher. As more and more mana flowed in, the land filled with it, grass and trees began to grow, blue leaves spread, buds appeared, and flowers started to bloom.
This was a familiar sight in Ehrenfest, but to Arensbach's nobles, who had never before seen the land healed, it must have looked like a miracle.
"Ooooh! Incredible! The power of the avatar of the goddess!"
"I cannot believe the gathering grounds could become so rich in such a short time."
I heard the nobles' excited voices in the distance as they marveled at the power of the avatar of the goddess, and I felt the divine power of the gods inside me gradually swell.