Loran's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
A moment ago, the ministers packed in the meeting hall had all been silently at Aura's arrogant swagger, furious at the oppressive force she carried, furious at the way this young woman, promoted to Minister of Education purely because the two President favored her, looked down on them as though they were insects.
But now… now the very same ministers leapt to their feet in terror.
Wasn't this young woman the one who had just been standing there with overwhelming pride, radiating the confidence of someone no one could ever hope to defeat?
Her mana and her earlier display of magic absolutely justified her arrogance.
So then… what in the world just happened?
How could such a powerful mage be blown away by a magic cannon blast that was, by all standards, utterly ordinary?
"Aura! Aura! Are you alright?! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, why did I lose my temper and attack my colleague?!"
Loran threw aside her wand and sprinted toward Aura's collapsed body. She flipped Aura over, fell to her knees, and gathered her up in her arms. She cupped the girl's deathly pale face, shaking with guilt.
"I knew it, I knew you were still young… that being prideful is normal, that saying harsh things is normal… So why? Why couldn't I control my temper?! Damn it, what is wrong with me?! I've never snapped at any other young mage, no matter how insolent they were!"
"Why is it only you, only in front of you, that I completely lose control?!"
Her voice broke into a pitiful sob.
In the corner, the Minister of Finance mumbled under his breath, "Is this… is this what guilt-induced hallucination looks like?"
"Shut up!" someone whispered back.
Loran's devastation was genuine. Not just because she had attacked a colleague—but because she believed she had just cost humanity a once-in-a-generation talent.
Aura was still so young, and although she was a bit reckless, all her achievements showed that she was devoted to humanity... while Loran had caused humanity to lose such a talented person. Even her death wouldn't be enough to atone for it!
"Cough cough cough—" Aura, whose face was pale, suddenly coughed.
Loran, who moments earlier had been sinking into despair, immediately called Aura's name. She hadn't felt a trace of mana from the girl and had genuinely thought she was dead. But if she was breathing, then there was hope.
"Ugh—"
Aura suddenly lurched forward—and vomited a shocking amount of blood.
A wave of crimson splattered across the polished white floor.
Half the ministers screamed.
Loran's complexion drained even more drastically than Aura's. She looked like she might faint.
Internal bleeding. Far more dangerous than surface wounds.If any internal organ had ruptured, not even healing magic could restore what was broken.
The magic of limb regeneration currently exists only in theory.
Even for a great mage, if vital organs such as the heart and brain are damaged in battle, death is the only outcome.
"I… I…" Aura slowly raised a trembling hand, looking up at Loran with desperate, pleading eyes.
Loran immediately clasped that weak, shaking hand in both of hers. Feeling the fragile shivers of the young girl, her heart twisted painfully. She swore to herself that no matter what Aura's final wish was, she would make sure it came true.
"T-The funding… kh… kh… it's mine… You can't… can't take it from me…"
"It's yours, it's yours! All of it is yours! Don't worry, I won't fight you for it. No one will! I promise, it will all go to the education of low-class mages."
Tears streamed down Loran's cheeks. What a considerate child…
Even in a moment like this, at death's door, she wasn't thinking about herself, but about her duty.
Loran turned to the other ministers, her gaze lingering especially on the Finance Department. Seeing him nod heavily, she turned back to Aura and gave her a solemn, resolute nod.
But when she looked down, her arms were suddenly empty. The small hand she had been holding was gone as well.
"Tch. You heard her. She said she didn't want it anymore."
The voice came from behind her.
Aura, covered in blood, stood there completely unbothered, pinching an Education Ministry funding request form between her fingers, holding it out for the Finance Minister to stamp.
Smack.
To be honest, the Finance Minister stamped it purely on instinct. His mind had completely shut down.
You couldn't blame him.
Anyone would be stunned senseless if the colleague they thought had just died suddenly reappeared behind them, acting as though nothing had happened, continuing her paperwork as usual.
"You took my attack head-on, spat out that much blood, just to get that stamp?" Loran stared at Aura, speechless.
Aura shot her a sideways glance, wiped the blood from her mouth, and replied calmly:
"Never seen the magic of vomit-blood-and-play-dead to survive before?"
"Why would anyone research something so bizarre?"
"I didn't research it on purpose." Aura sniffed proudly. "It didn't take long. I thought of it yesterday."
"No, that's not what I meant. What made you even think of creating a spell like that in the first place?"
Aura tapped her temple with a smug, superior expression.
"Because I'm smart."
She cast a disdainful look at the woman in front of her, the Human Resources Minister who had supposedly spent years surviving in the Association.
They actually want to solve everything with force. Aura really doesn't understand how these humans can have such barbaric thinking. What's the difference between them and the vast majority of demons who only know how to fight?
Sure, Aura was a demon, but she had said this many times already:
She became a Great Demon by using her brain.Not by brute strength like those other muscle-headed monsters.
Aura was very smart.
"You didn't know this, did you? In the Association, brute strength gets you nowhere. You have to use your head."
"Thank you for your… generosity. Thanks to you, I secured funding for the Ministry of Education."
"Fufufu."
Aura pressed down on her hat, gave a graceful bow, tucked the approved funding document under her arm, and slipped on her cloak before pushing open the doors with composed elegance.
Behind her, the pillars of the Continental Magic Association were left doubting whether something was seriously wrong with their own minds.
All the human mages stood frozen, stunned beyond words.