Mayer took a small, steadying breath as he stood stock-still amidst flying sparks of flame. The sight of him and his fluttering black cloak was striking to my eyes. In front of our captain lay the head of the dragon he cut off; its eyes wide open in death. The beast's maws were huge enough to swallow him in one bite, but it didn't seem so fearsome anymore. Its disembodiment only gave the impression of a grotesque sculpture.

He still did not seem to believe what had just happened, even after killing the dragon. The Dark Knights were no different. Grand Duke Knox had been the strongest human even before he manifested mana, yet now he could even wield divine power. Such perfection was so unrealistic that everyone fell into a daze, speechless. The astonishment felt by squad Darkfall, in particular, was immeasurably great. They had vaguely known about the rumors of Mayer possessing demonic power.

As for me I was gasping for breath due to being completely out of mana. I did think it would be stretching it to cast Rich Experience on top of the rest. Of course, my effort was rewardedI had finally crossed the wall of lament. But the mana consumption of a level 60 skill was still severe even though I had reached level 50 I had to level up quicker.

Mayer clenched his hands into fists repeatedly, then swiveled as if searching for something. The moment his eyes landed on me, he came charging over. The members between us retreated hurriedly in fear. I could only watch him rushing to me like a bear, helplessly exhausted. He supported me up with a hand before pulling me into a powerful embrace. My paper-fragile body slammed against his big, hard armor, but thankfully, it didn't hurt. At that moment, I was very grateful for the artifacts he had veritably wreathed around me. Ugh

But I still couldn't help groaning at the strong pressure he exerted. Still, it wasn't as bad as it could be. He did seem to have enough sense of mind to control his strength.

After being surprised by Mayer's display of holy power, the Dark Knights all gasped. Their two superiors sharing a passionate hug? Even if it was a one-sided hug, what mattered to them was the people involved in the hug, not whether that hug was agreed upon. The eyes of the others strayed in bewilderment, unsure of where to look. Oh, this was the perfect scene to give off the wrong idea Regardless, Mayer buried his head in my nape like a man who did not see and did not hear. He seemed to be floundering at the surge of joy overflowing inside him at this moment, which I could understand. He never had the chance to feel a sense of accomplishment at properly using his magical power and, at the same time, to feel relief that he would not be despised for it.

Mayer's harsh breath tickled the back of my neck as he held me in a back-crushing hug, whispering in a tearful voice, This is all thanks to you.

Okaay, okay. But would it have hurt to hold it back a little since the others didn't know why he was acting like this? No one knew I had used an element conversion spell. From their perspective, Mayer had channeled holy power by himself then ran over to me after killing the dragon for no reason. Normally, only lovers would share the joy in such a manner. At the very least, August looked unaffected, knowing that I had awakened Mayer's mana. Although it seemed he couldn't help frowning at his superiors hugging so intensely.