Aristovelli hovered above the battlefield, the sleeping Victoria resting quietly in her arms as she surveyed the scene below.
Beneath her, the remaining guild members tended to the wounded, helping those who had lost consciousness during the clash. Yet even amidst the chaos, many could not help but lift their heads toward the mysterious woman who had subdued the enemy with such effortless ease—and toward their respective captains.
"Who is she? She took down that monster so easily!" one of the Legend Guild members exclaimed.
"They called her Grand Master! What's that even supposed to mean!?" another asked from the ranks of the Comet Guild.
"Miss Titiguetti Aristovelli is the legendary witch recorded within Utopia's ancient dead scrolls," Gron explained. "Her power is beyond question. Even the Magic Council holds her in the highest regard."
"Exactly," Eltrish added, her eyes fixed upon the hovering woman with open admiration. "She exists in an entirely different league from us. She's the one who trained our guild masters. Personally, this is my first time seeing her in person… It's truly an honour."
At that revelation, shock spread among the gathered guild members.
For to many of them, Titiguetti Aristovelli had never been more than a myth.
Aristovelli stared down at Aiden and Godric with almost comical disdain, disappointment plain upon her face.
"What is it!? Why are you looking at us like we're pieces of trash!?" the self-proclaimed Flame God complained.
"You are trash," she replied coldly, her expression unchanged.
Aiden clutched his chest dramatically, visibly wounded by the remark. Godric, meanwhile, chose a far different approach.
"Master, I did not expect to see you here," he said, lowering his head respectfully. "I apologize for troubling you with such a lowly matter. I shall strive to do better."
Aristovelli stared at him for a moment.
Then, without warning, her demeanour brightened completely.
"Godo!!" she called joyfully, using the nickname she had given him.
Before he could react, she pulled him into an embrace, pressing his face tightly against her chest. Though clearly suffocating, Godric offered no resistance.
"That's not fair!!" Aiden protested. "You're always nice to this pervert!"
"Godo? A pervert?" Aristovelli tilted her head in confusion. "He is adorable and well-mannered. Nothing like you, moron."
Godric smirked discreetly at Aiden, clearly enjoying his misery.
The gesture only made Aiden even more furious.
Still, the amusement did not last long. Godric soon cast aside the joking atmosphere, his attention returning to the true matter before them—
The fallen princess.
"If you may, Grand Master… do you have any idea who this woman is?" Godric asked, his gaze fixed upon Victoria. "If she can even be called human."
Aristovelli stared at the sleeping princess for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.
Then she nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, yes! I know her!" she declared with an obviously forced smile.
Aiden and Godric slowly turned toward her with identical expressions.
"She absolutely has no idea who she is," they thought in unison.
Suddenly, the earth trembled.
Mana began flowing through the land itself, spreading like invisible currents beneath their feet. The ruined surroundings slowly restored themselves—shattered ground mended, debris shifted back into place, and fractured structures began to reform as though time itself had reversed.
At the same time, the wounded felt warmth spread through their bodies as their injuries gradually healed.
"What is this!? The land is repairing itself!"
"My wounds… they're healing!"
"Where is all this mana coming from!?"
The guild members stared around in astonishment, unable to conceal their shock.
Even Aiden and Godric were taken aback by the sheer scale of the phenomenon. Yet neither was foolish enough to question the caster responsible for it.
"She remains as extraordinary as ever," Godric thought, watching Aristovelli in admiration. "To command magic of this magnitude without incantations… or even a formal spell is truly a feat on its own."
The formalities and lighthearted banter came to an end.
Mana flooded Aristovelli's eyes as she extended her senses across the land below. Without another word, she vanished and reappeared high above the skies, tracing the origin of the chaos that had unfolded.
She did not need to descend.
From above alone, her senses grasped the entirety of the situation—the slain members of the Agape cult, the devoured non-mages, and the survivors desperately fleeing the catastrophe.
"I see… how interesting," she murmured with a faint smile.
Once the land had been restored, she returned to the ground beside her former apprentices.
"What are we going to do with her?" Aiden asked, glancing at the unconscious Victoria.
"He beat me to it. I was about to ask the same thing," Godric added. "She's extremely dangerous."
"I understood the threat she represented the moment I laid eyes upon her," Aristovelli replied, entrusting Victoria into Aiden's arms. "Bind her in chains. I shall create a special seal to restrain her."
"And what if she breaks free!? She's completely insane!" Aiden insisted.
"Would you stop questioning your master already?" Aristovelli yawned as she turned away. "Even if she escapes, what of it? I subdued her once—I can do so again."
And with that, she casually walked off.
The others remained frozen in silence, watching her leave as though the overwhelming events of the night had suddenly become absurdly ordinary in her presence.
A crowd of villagers gathered at the entrance of the village, led from the front by an elderly man.
He was none other than the village chief himself—Amalu Lashkar.
The sight that welcomed them was far from pleasing. Though much of the damage had been restored, traces of the chaos still lingered across the land.
"You there!" the chief called out, pointing his cane toward Aristovelli.
"Are you speaking to me?" she asked, slightly confused.
Chief Lashkar was both blind and advanced in age. Unfortunately, he was pointing in the complete opposite direction.
"Grandfather, the lady is to your right, not your left," Loof corrected calmly.
Yet the old man was far too stubborn to admit fault.
"Loof!" he barked at his granddaughter. "Do not contradict me! I may be blind, but what an old man sees while seated, no young man or woman can see while standing!"
The villagers exchanged awkward glances among themselves.
"He's blind… so how exactly is he seeing anything?" they whispered in confusion.
"Silence already!" the chief snapped, clearly irritated.
"Grandfather, calm yourself. Anger is bad for your heart," Loof advised gently.
"Aah!! Loof, stop interrupting me! Just point me toward whoever caused this whole ruckus!" Lashkar demanded, his patience wearing thin.
"There are many people here, Grandfather," Loof replied calmly, "but the closest one to us is the lady standing before you."
"Very well. Whoever you may be," the old chief declared, straightening proudly, "I am the chief of Corniche Village—the honourable and mighty Amalu Lashkar!"
"Honourable and mighty?" Aristovelli mused inwardly, barely suppressing her amusement. "His height is hardly different from that of a mushroom."
"You will compensate us for all the damage," the chief continued sternly.
"But I already restored everything," Aristovelli sighed.
"And what of our mental suffering?" Lashkar shot back at once. "What of the fear and trauma inflicted upon the women and children? Such wounds do not heal overnight! Have you no integrity!?"
"What a shameless old crook," Aristovelli thought with an inward chuckle.
"Regardless," she said aloud, "if it is money you seek, then you are speaking to the wrong person. I'm broke and currently searching for work myself. In truth, I was counting on Goddo—and that good-for-nothing Aiden standing over there like a withered tree—to reward me for stepping in."
"Huh!?" the crowd exclaimed in collective disbelief.
Aiden, meanwhile, froze on the spot, utterly bewildered as to why he had suddenly become the target of her insults.
"How can the strongest witch alive be broke!? Aren't power and wealth supposed to go hand in hand!? And why does she even need a job!?" Members of both guilds whispered among themselves.
While both guilds continued arguing over Aristovelli's questionable financial situation, the witch quietly summoned Godric to her side. She understood well that if compensation was not offered, the incident would inevitably reach the ears of the Magic Council and escalate into needless trouble.
"Use the money you were meant to pay me and settle this," she whispered into Godric's ear. "We cannot afford embarrassment."
"Always finding new ways to empty my pockets… she truly never changes," Godric lamented inwardly.
In the end, he handed Chief Lashkar twenty-five gold pieces.
Though blind, the old chief possessed an almost frightening talent for counting coins and identifying counterfeits by touch alone.
As Lashkar carefully counted each piece with painstaking concentration, Godric quietly realized a grim truth.
He was now just as broke as his master.
Most of the gold earned from his previous raid had vanished into the old chief's wrinkled hands.
Later that night, within an isolated house at the edge of the village, Aiden and Godric worked alongside members of their respective guilds to heavily restrain Victoria in chains, while Aristovelli layered the chamber with intricate magic circles and sealing formulas to further contain her.
"There, all done!" Aristovelli clapped her hands cheerfully. "Now we simply wait for her to awaken."
"And after that?" Aiden asked.
"It is not every day one encounters someone capable of driving back two mages of your calibre," Aristovelli replied with a smile. "She intrigues me. Once she awakens, we shall have her speak."
With that, she turned and walked toward the exit.
"I shall remain nearby," she added before disappearing entirely. "Inform me the moment she regains consciousness."
Aiden let out an irritated sigh.
"I truly hate how she appears out of nowhere and treats us like children."
"She cannot be blamed for it," Godric replied calmly. "Had we been strong enough to settle matters ourselves, she would have remained in the shadows. We simply need to improve."
His fists tightened slightly, sharing the same frustration as his rival.
"On that much, brother, we agree," Aiden said with a warm smile.
The two men then stepped out of the room and sealed the door shut, completing the final layer of Aristovelli's barrier.
***
Four days later.
The Legend and Comet Guilds had chosen to remain within Corniche Village until their respective guild masters concluded their dealings with the fallen princess.
In those few days, many guild members had already begun mingling with the villagers, slowly blending into the rhythm of the settlement and forming unexpected friendships.
Not far from the village, within the steaming waters of a secluded hot spring, Aristovelli rested peacefully when Eltrish suddenly arrived.
"M-Madam… Grand Master… Miss…" she stammered, utterly uncertain of how to address her without causing offence.
"Breathe," Aristovelli said lazily. "Lady Titi is enough. Or you may call me Lady Tits. I do happen to possess magnificent ones, after all. Would you like to inspect them?"
"N-No! Absolutely not!" Eltrish panicked at once, her face reddening furiously. "I would never dare call you that! And I certainly would not stare at your brea— I mean… your chest!"
"I was merely teasing you," Aristovelli chuckled. "Now then, speak."
"The prisoner has awakened," Eltrish reported quickly. "Master Aiden sent me to fetch you."
"It was about time."
Aristovelli rose from the steaming waters without the slightest embarrassment, forcing Eltrish to shut her eyes immediately.
Once dressed, the legendary witch followed her back toward the village.
Upon arriving at the isolated house, Aristovelli found Godric standing with a sword in hand while Aiden rested a massive hammer across his shoulder. Across from them, Victoria sat restrained in chains, exchanging cold, hostile glares with the two men.
Without warning, Aristovelli summoned a chair from thin air, sat gracefully upon it, and crossed her legs.
"Very well," she said with a smile.
Yet behind that gentle expression lingered an ominous pressure—
The kind capable of unsettling even the fallen princess herself.
"Let's begin!"