What was reflected in the mirror was no longer the familiar appearance of a weathered, middle-aged sorcerer.
It was a young, handsome, and sharp-featured face.
The skin was elastic, with a healthy rosy tint beneath the paleness, like that of a well-groomed aristocratic youth.
All the ravages of wrinkles on his face had disappeared.
His hair, originally mixed with gray and white-brown, had now returned to the pure, thick, bright brown of his youth.
His eyes no longer had the cloudiness and sediment of the elderly, but were as bright and sharp as a hawk's.
After over three hundred years, seeing his youthful face again, Hen's expression involuntarily fell into a trance.
The face in the water mirror was both familiar and unfamiliar, evoking countless memories of his youth sealed deep in his memory.
Dazed for a moment, he quickly came to his senses, living with the habit of having lived so long.
He found it hard to accept suddenly becoming a "youngster" again, especially in front of his student.
A flicker of magical light passed over his body, and a realistic illusion was cast upon him.
He concealed his overly youthful appearance and returned to his former calm, middle-aged scholar's visage.
Hen coughed softly, trying to pretend to be the serious mentor of the past, maintaining his dignity before his student.
However, perhaps his mindset was different, or perhaps what he had just experienced was too shocking,
he couldn't express his dignity on his face as naturally as before.
He sighed helplessly, realizing that in front of Karl, this disguise was meaningless.
Since they had all seen him, he simply didn't put on a serious face.
He changed the subject, looked at Karl with burning eyes, and asked the most important question: "Karl, the power you just used..."
"What kind of power is it? Did you obtain it after visiting the Temple of Melitele?"
Karl shook his head and said calmly: "There is some connection to the trip to the temple, but it's not very relevant."
"This power, which I call divine power, is something I... figured out myself recently."
"Now, I am probably... walking the path to becoming a god."
Hearing Karl admit it himself, Hen's face showed no particular surprise.
There was just a hint of extremely complex emotion in his eyes, with feeling, relief, and a slight sense of his cognitive abilities being undermined.
Having lived for hundreds of years, he had studied too many things—from the nature of Chaos magic to the remnants of the ancient elves,
from alchemy to the secrets of life. He had long been speculating and theorizing about the existence of "gods."
However, when this fact was indisputably confirmed by his closest student, and the person himself was walking that path, the feeling was still indescribable.
He quickly adjusted his thinking, a relieved smile and a hint of self-deprecation on his face.
"...I never expected that just as this old man was about to bury himself, he would be able to witness a true miracle with his own eyes."
"I never expected that my student would be a being close to a god."
He seemed to remember something, waved his hand, and said: "Originally, the reason I came to you this time was to have you go with the enforcement team to hunt down a senior sorcerer who was secretly studying magical summoning and developing an immortality potion."
"He possesses dangerous knowledge that could cause a lot of trouble."
"However, now it seems... there's no point in diverting your attention for this."
Hen looked at Karl, his eyes full of expectation: "Karl, improving your own strength is far more important than these mundane matters."
"I will handle this guy myself."
He felt the surge of life energy in his body, clenched his fists, and a long-lost passion was in his voice.
"I feel so energetic, as if I'm young again, and it seems like living a few more hundred years wouldn't be a problem... I hope this isn't my illusion."
When Karl heard Hen's last words, the corners of his eyes twitched involuntarily.
He smiled helplessly and said: "Teacher, this is definitely not your illusion."
"The divine power I just used already contained a part of my own life energy."
"The process of healing you is, in a sense, equivalent to me sharing a part of my 'life' with you."
"What?!" When Hen heard this, his face suddenly changed, and he abruptly stood up, his face full of impatience and worry.
"Karl! This is so serious, why didn't you explain it to me in advance?!"
"This divine power... can it still be returned? Quickly! Take your words back! I cannot use your life to prolong my own!"
His tone was resolute, without the slightest hesitation. In his heart, Karl was the hope for an infinite future.
And he had already lived most of his life, never wanting to be a burden and a drag on his student.
Karl looked at Hen's anxious expression, and a warm current surged in his heart.
He shrugged nonchalantly, a relaxed and confident smile on his face, and reassured him: "Teacher, you really don't need to worry."
"For ordinary gods, divine power might be extremely precious, and consuming a little would be worrying."
"But for me... it's just a matter of spending more time." He glanced at the sun hanging high outside the window.
"My lifespan, or the origin of my life, is far greater than you think. The small amount I gave you is just a drop in the ocean..."
Hen stared intently into Karl's eyes, confirming that he looked calm, without the slightest hint of reluctance, and his words were full of absolute confidence.
His tense heart gradually relaxed, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
He leaned back in his chair with a relieved smile, trusting that Karl wouldn't lie to him about such matters.
As long as it didn't affect Karl's own foundation and future, he could live longer.
Witnessing and helping this destined student reach new heights was undoubtedly a dream for him.
"That's good... that's good..." Hen murmured.
As the conversation with Hen was coming to an end, Karl raised another issue.
"Teacher, do you... have any important information about the Witcher's 'mutagenic potions'?"
"Also, if there are any spell books or training records related to the mind and spirituality, I need those too."
"The forces under my command need to be further strengthened to counter unknown and powerful enemies that may appear in the future."
Hearing this, Hen pondered, and his renewed, sharp eyes looked at Karl.
In Karl's expression, there was neither a greedy thirst for power nor a fanatical pursuit of knowledge.
There was only a calm prudence, preparing for the long term.
"Information on Witcher mutations... yes, I have it." Hen slowly nodded, without hiding it.
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