"You little monster..." she whispered. "How in the hell is your mana sea this vast?"
"Dunno," Fenric replied with a shrug, his tone dry. "But it’s probably the reason I was targeted by that bitch of a Dark Empress."
Mavis raised her brow, stood up from his lap, and began pacing. One hand rested under her chin, thoughtful.
"Hmm... you might be right. This could be the reason," she muttered. "After all, your talent was never fully evaluated. If she sensed that your potential surpassed her own child’s, she may have decided to eliminate you in secret... using that slow-acting poison."
Fenric nodded slightly, though inside he scoffed.
Like hell he was going to tell her the truth—that the poison was actually the reason his mana sea had become this vast. Knowing this woman’s twisted tendencies, she might decide to feed him even more poison next time... just to ’help him grow.’
"Hmm, still... your mana sea feels as if it’s been tempered," she said.
Fenric rose from the chair, brow furrowed. This was a new term to him—something he hadn’t encountered in the original book."What do you mean, tempered? Can someone even temper their mana sea?" he asked.
Mavis nodded. "I wondered the same. I just read about it in an ancient book I found in a ruin. It described how some Blessed used to temper their three origins: body, soul, and thier Energy sea."
"Tempering each of them made those origins stronger and more resilient than others," she explained.
Fenric nodded slowly, deep in thought.Duserdis did say my mana sea had been condensed and expanded. And my mana purity was also increased because of the poison... This does sound a lot like mana sea tempering, he thought as he looked at his hands.
Mavis stopped pacing and turned, arms folded, her golden eyes locked onto his face.
"I think, its most likely due to the Poison, it might have tempered you mana sea due to your energy sea rejecting and fighting back the poison"
"It was after all an slow acting poison so it was enough to push and pull your Mana Sea" She said looking at him.
While Fenric was having an heart attack’ whyis this bicth so obervant?’ he inwardly asked while his face remianed same cold expression he usually have.
"You really are a dangerous little thing, Fenric," she said with a strange note of admiration. "Most people would be rotting in a grave with that kind of curse clinging to their soul. But you? You turned it into strength."
Her lips curled again into that signature grin—equal parts amused and intrigued.
"Tell me... how much of this was luck? And how much of it was something else?" she asked, tilting her head. "No... don’t answer. I’ll find out myself eventually."
Fenric didn’t respond. His face remained calm, but his mind was racing. Mavis was clearly too sharp for comfort, and far too observant. The less she knew about the Duserdis’s influence, the better.
She took a step forward, the air shifting slightly around her. The scent of lavender and some other feminne scent lingered faintly as she leaned close again.
"I’ll be honest, Fenric," she said, voice softer now. "I wasn’t expecting to find someone like you. Not in this palace. Not with your Willpower."
She touched a finger to his chest again, tracing lightly over where his heart was.
"This power of yours... it’s not just big. It’s refined. Tempered. Like steel folded a hundred times. That’s not the mark of someone who just survives. That’s the mark of someone who fights back."
Fenric’s gaze remained steady. "If you’re trying to flatter me, it won’t work."
"Oh, please," Mavis laughed. "You think I care about your ego? I’m just excited."
She turned her back to him and stretched, arms high over her head, her tone becoming casual once again.
"Still... I’ll need to rework my training plans for you. You’re no ordinary disciple. A mana sea like yours? We’ll need to design a regimen meant for monsters."
Then she turned over her shoulder with a teasing wink.
"Congratulations, Fenric. From this moment on, your life is officially going to be hell."
Fenric let out a slow breath. "Looking forward to it."
Inside? He was already regretting every life choice that led to this point.
Mavis gave him one last amused look, then stepped away from him entirely, brushing off the front of her dress like she’d just wrapped up a routine check-up on a very interesting lab rat.
"Well, I’ve seen enough," she said, her voice light and breezy again. "Your foundation is salvageable. Barely. But don’t worry—I’ll fix that too."
She walked toward the door, her boots clicking against the marble floor with quiet authority. Before leaving, she glanced over her shoulder.
"I’m heading out to gather a few potions and alchemical treatments—things to rebuild what that poison took from you. Strength boosters, marrow restoratives, body-forging compounds... the usual cocktail for someone who’s been living on the edge of death since birth."
She smirked. "Don’t get too comfortable. Once I’m back, we’re beginning your training—and I don’t go easy on monsters, no matter how pretty they look."
Fenric watched her go, his face unreadable. As the door creaked open, Mavis added one last remark without looking back:
He raised an eyebrow.
"Try not to die while I’m gone. I hate wasting rare materials."
With that, she slipped out, leaving behind only the faint scent of spirit energy and the lingering weight of her presence.
The silence returned, but it wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy—like the calm before a storm Fenric knew was coming straight for him.
He let out a long breath and muttered under his breath.
"Why does she even want to take me as a disciple...?" Fenric muttered to himself, now sitting back on the chair. It wasn’t like she lacked options—she was powerful, influential, feared. If she’d wanted a student, she could’ve had her pick of prodigies from every corner of the empire.