It was similar to a communication device, but extremely small.

By placing it within one’s ear, one could connect to another person who had the same device.

Thanks to this, Neron had been up to date with the incidents going on with Jared, and vice versa.

‘So, what’s your next move?’ The stoic man asked his protege.

~I’m still handling the Beastfolk, but things should be going as planned. The Royal Court Magician should be fulfilling his end of our deal, and the Demon Army should be attacking in a few days.~

Jared continued by mentioning how Lydia’s death would aggravate the Demon Forces, but also make them extremely cautious.

There was the possibility that they would choose to retreat and gather more forces, but the most likely choice was to invade the Humans en masse and destroy everything in their path.

The way of violence was the heritage of the Demon Race.

~Damien Lawcroft has also made his move, though it’s to my benefit. I’ll be rounding things up with him soon. But, it’ll be perfect if he sees everything he has struggled for fall before his eyes.~

‘Your devilish intellect never ceases to amaze me.’ Neron grinned.

~Oh, please. You’re one to talk.~ Jared seemed to be chuckling where he was.

‘You’ll be acting on your own soon. Will you be alright? Even though they’ve sent their armies to invade the Humans, I doubt they’ll leave their home territory unguarded.’

~Yeah, I know. I’m counting on that. Besides, I have to go alone. There’s someone I want to see before finishing the job…~

‘Kay.’

~You’ll be making your move soon, right? I look forward to seeing the mighty Neron in action. Hahahaa~

‘You little… sigh. Well, you won the bet. I might as well finally get it over with.’

~You’re sounding like I am forcing you. It’ll be an enjoyable experience for you, don’t you think?~

‘Yeah. Yeah.’

~To b honest, I’m surprised… to think you’ve already completed the Weapon. And to think it was achieved because you used The Hermit Arcana. I’m amazed that you’ve gotten the hang of it so quickly.~

Neron smiled to himself upon hearing the young boy’s praise.

As the older fellow, he wasn’t supposed to be feeling this way, but Jared’s compliments always made him happy.

‘Well, I had lots of free time. I’m currently keeping it in the special storage. You’re the only one who can access it at this point, so… whenever you’re ready.’

~Cool. Well, I have to go… these girls are pestering me again.~

Neron felt a feeling surge in his chest. It could have been jealousy, considering no girls were flocking around him.

Serah chased them all away back in the good old days.

‘You lucky bastard…’ Neron was nearly in tears.

~Hahaha. Good luck, man!~

With that, their communication line was cut, and Neron turned to look at his comrades.

They were all basically waiting for him at this point.

“Sorry. Had to take care of some matters.” Neron smiled, his gaze especially focused on Ana.

“Let’s leave, then. Oh, you can dispel the illusion now, Ana. I’ll also undo the protective barriers. This workshop doesn’t serve a purpose any longer.” Aloe Vida said.

Maro seemed to be the most impatient of all. After all, he had work to attend to.

“I guess we all have some form of work to do. What will you be doing, Ana?” Aloe asked the young girl with a smile.

The answer was quite obvious.

“I want to study the specimen I recovered. It should help with my research on Anti-Magic… and something else…”

“Alright. Please be careful. Also, you did a wonderful job. Even I am not certain I could have beaten that monster.” Vida gave a genuine smile to accompany her praise.

“Please, Miss. Vida. I fought her, so I should know. You’re stronger.”

“Hahaha. Is that so?”

Aloe Vida was a woman who didn’t believe much in her strength, but others knew quite well how powerful she was.

Not only did she have access to Original Magic and Mage Mode, but her Mana Capacity was also extraordinary.

Besides, Jared gifted her a Grimoire that contained certain Spells and applications that made her more powerful.

To be honest, if Ana had to give her opinion, Aloe Vida had to be among the strongest people in the Eastern Kingdom.

‘Is she already Grand Mage Level?’ The young girl didn’t have an estimate.

Still, for a woman to have achieved such a degree of power in her twenties… it made Ana desire to work even harder.

‘I can’t be left behind, can I?’

“Welp, I’m off to slack off in my office. Call me if you need anything.”

Neron spoke the moment he stepped out of the door of the Warehouse. Instantly, he vanished.

“That guy…” Aloe smiled, snapping her fingers to undo the defensive Magic she had used on the Warehouse building, as well as the spot where Ana’s Illusion Magic was used to replicate the Weapon they were building.

“Thank you all for your cooperation.” Ana smiled while Rhea—her Familiar—dispelled the illusion.

“It was no problem. Still can’t believe you could make a clone of me. Well, since I was allowed to remain shut in with my work while the Automaton performed my role, I have no complaints.” Maro spoke with a grin.

“I was simply curious. But, you exceeded my expectations, Ana. Well done.”

“Hahaha. You guys overestimate me.”

To be honest, Ana didn’t feel quite as achieved yet.

Her Automatons were no match for the Demon Lord, and even with her Assault Mode, she couldn’t completely defeat the opponent.

As a Mage, she was simply too weak.

‘Hopefully, I’ll be able to change everything with this research!’

Her ultimate goal was to revolutionalize Magic in ways that Lewis Griffith hadn’t before.

To do that, she had to study what he stood for, and then create a different path for herself.

Of course, having sufficient power was indispensable to achieve her goals, but Ana knew that her true desire was to invent a different kind of power that the world hadn’t seen.

That way, her name, Anabelle Frederick, would be the new Lewis Griffith—no, even better.

‘I have a competitor already, but… I won’t lose to you, Jared!’

She was going to be the ultimate Magic Scholar… no matter what!

A

/N

I think Ana just got scarier. She’s actually more similar to Jared than the other girls.

I wonder…