"Calamity? No... cough cough, at least I judged that it wasn't related to calamity. That voice wasn't malicious, otherwise I would have said it already."

As Chiara Rudnev spoke, she stroked Ira's head as if petting a cat... To Vera's astonishment, Ira obediently lowered her head, accepting her mentor's caress.

Vera: What?! Is Ira really that well-behaved?!

Vera, seemingly lost in thought, reached out her hand towards Ira's head with a sly grin, then withdrew it sheepishly under Ira's serious gaze... Well, it seems that as Ira's [mentor who has just entered the extraordinary realm], Mentor Kiara is special.

"That was a long, long time ago... cough cough cough, back then, I was just a budding mage."

Although that's what Kiara Rudnev said, everyone actually knew that Kiara was already quite famous at that time... The chief mage of the combat-magic system might not leave a very significant mark on history.

But in that year, he was absolutely famous... because he was very good at fighting and had a strong sense of martial virtue.

You can tell what Kiara was like when she was still a student just by how she always hits people now...

"Then, one day, I started to hear Mana's voice... not the voice of any specific Mana, but the voice of all Mana. To be honest, it was quite cute."

Chiara Rudnev said with a soft sigh, "I didn't gain any benefit from it, I didn't become stronger, and I didn't become a special person like you."

The "you" here naturally refers to Ira, who was listening attentively, while the so-called "special person" is, to put it simply, a "hanger" (someone who is overpowered).

"Sigh! They (the manas) express different emotions, whether it's joy or sadness... Although they don't mean any harm, they are indeed very noisy, extremely noisy, and they have definitely put a burden on my body."

Chiara Rudnev chuckled, pointed to herself, and coughed twice: "Cough cough, the main reason is that I don't sleep well at night... If I don't sleep well, it's easy to cough or gag."

"..."

"..."

So it really isn't a big deal... I originally thought that Instructor Kiara's coughing so badly was because she was extremely weak, but it turns out she just hadn't been getting enough rest.

"I couldn't help coughing because of the noise in my head..."

Ira murmured to himself, looking at Instructor Chiara's head with some concern, "Although you said [they meant no harm], in my understanding..."

This should fall under the category of "calamity".

"I see."

But Ira kept saying that, looking at his own desk intently, nodding and saying, "After all, you are my mentor, I trust your judgment... Take care of your health, and if you can't, try to fall asleep quickly."

Kiara nodded in satisfaction... As her mentor, she was proud of Ira.

————World Tree Divider————

"Huh? Didn't you tell that Kiara... something about 'I trust your judgment'?"

The snake woman in her pajamas said this, looking at Ira sitting in front of her. Ira, still sleepy, looked at her and disappeared her clothes and the Simmons bed beneath her, changing into her usual attire.

In response to her words, Ira crossed her arms, casually looking at the woman in front of her with a helpless expression, and simply said, "Belief is one thing, but verification is another."

That makes sense, but when you put it all together, it just sounds ridiculous...

"That's not a calamity... Don't worry."

The snake woman readily told Ira the truth, resting her chin on her hand as she said, "Actually, her situation is not uncommon in the world. On the contrary... the so-called 'Mana aptitude' is an injustice that arose because the gods disappeared."

As she spoke, she rested her chin on her hand and casually recounted the secrets of the Age of Gods: "After the gods died, the differences between humans began from the very beginning... Before that, apart from the [divine offspring], there was no distinction between mortals and nobles among bloodlines."

"..."

That was truly an unimaginable period... If there were no nobles who valued blood, then the people who distributed the benefits would be the descendants of the gods, and the power of the descendants of the gods would undoubtedly be the state.

The strongest divine offspring will be an exception...

"In other words, if the gods hadn't died, would the outsiders be a bunch of responsible people?"

As Ira spoke, pondering and connecting the dots, he said, "You said before that those mortals who have grown into 'outsiders' have already become capable of clearing away calamities, in other words..."

Yes, it was precisely because of the death of the gods that so many chain reactions occurred...

Ah...ah?!

(Aatrox: Huh?!)

"Isn't that your fault?!"

In response to Ira's question, the snake woman turned her head away and said casually, "Well, you could say that... but it's too much to put all the blame on me. I advise you to be nicer to me, your golden finger."

What kind of cheat code is this?! You're more like a villainous boss, not a mastermind!

"Sigh... I understand. I'll go to the spirit world to help you find a body later. I hope you'll live up to my kindness. Also, do you know what 'evil god's followers' are?"

The snake woman nodded in satisfaction at Ira's words, assuring her, "Okay, okay~ I promise I won't cause you any trouble... As for the evil god and his followers, I think it's better if you go and find out the truth yourself."

"You can send someone to look for the ruins of the evil god. There should be some long-forgotten records inside. Before you understand everything, it's better not to eliminate all the evil god's followers... However, it will take quite a while to do this without your intervention."

Do not eliminate all the evil god's followers for now?

"Why?"

As Ira asked this, he frowned slightly, looking at the other person with a hint of helplessness, and asked, "Do you think it's funny to say things only halfway?"

As for whether it's fun or not, it's definitely fun.

"Oh, never mind that. Just have your men help you find the ruins of the evil god, and you go to the spirit world to help me and the soul inside you find an unclaimed body... Anyway, you'll find out the truth sooner or later."

Ira: "..."

Feeling utterly speechless, Ira had no choice but to sigh and turn away from the World Tree...

"..."

"Sooner or later you'll realize that I'm not your enemy."