After a moment, they pulled away, both of them smiling.

"Come," Ethan said, standing and offering her his hand. "I need to check on Ishtar."

She nodded and took his hand. Together, they walked through the manor and out into the backyard.

What they found when they arrived made both of them stop for a moment.

Ishtar hovered just above the ground, with a green glow surrounding her as excitement lit up her face. She demonstrated something to Rayleigh, who stood below, watching with a smile.

That’s right. Rayleigh had been the one to drive Bella to the Stark manor, taking the opportunity to visit Ishtar.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen her laugh," Bella noted, seeming almost surprised. "Or even smile."

"Yeah," Ethan muttered, a subtle smile forming on his own face.

They approached slowly, and Rayleigh turned toward them when he heard their footsteps.

"I don’t know how you were able to do this," Rayleigh said, "But... thank you."

Ethan acknowledged him with a nod.

Ishtar descended slowly and inclined her head respectfully. "Lord Ethan."

Ethan nodded back at her.

"Oh!" she said quickly, "I discovered something earlier when you had left to see the lord of this province."

Rayleigh immediately turned to her. "Here, we simply call him the King."

"Sorry, sorry. I apologize," Ishtar said, bowing her head again before turning back to Ethan with that same excited energy. "There’s something else this power can do."

Ethan nodded, gesturing for her to show him.

Ishtar turned toward Rayleigh, the one she had discovered this ability with earlier.

She walked behind him and placed her right palm on his back. Her markings glowed brighter, the green light intensifying until it looked like her entire arm was made of emerald fire.

Then, the greenish aura transferred toward Rayleigh, surging around him like a second skin.

But that wasn’t all.

His eyes had also taken on the same greenish glow that Ishtar’s would when she activated her power. And this in particular put a surprised look on Ethan’s face.

"So what’s actually going on?" Ethan asked, his gaze fixed on Rayleigh. "Are you transferring your power to him?"

Rayleigh answered, turning slightly toward Ishtar as he spoke. "Not exactly a transfer, because she can still use her powers at the same time."

To demonstrate, Ishtar levitated off the ground, her body rising several feet into the air with ease.

"But I feel stronger," Rayleigh continued, flexing his fingers and rolling his shoulders like he was testing his own body. "And my body feels lighter, so I’ll be faster as well."

"Hmm..." Ethan nodded, processing the information. "So more like a buff?"

Rayleigh nodded. "Yes."

"Do you know by how much?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing out of proportion," Rayleigh replied. "I tried earlier. But it’s still a useful advantage."

"Hm... I see," Ethan said with a thoughtful nod. "This is good progress. I’ll note it down."

"Thank you, Lord Ethan," Ishtar said, inclining her head.

This conversation had just made Ethan realize the possibility of something he had never tried before. Applying his amplification trait on phenomena outside of himself.

His guild members.

His summons.

The idea took root in his mind, but he filed it away for later. Right now, he had another priority.

He returned his focus to the real reason he came here.

"Ishtar, kindly extend your arm, please." He gestured toward her right arm, the one bearing the markings.

"Oh..." she muttered, obeying at once by stretching her arm out toward him.

Ethan’s eyes immediately glowed into the peculiar pattern of the Eyes of the Sage. The intricate design lit up across his irises as he stared at her arm, studying every curve, every line, every symbol drawn into her skin.

The glow lasted for several seconds before it faded.

Rayleigh, who had been watching, gained a puzzled expression. "What did you do?"

"I just ingrained all of these into memory," Ethan said, tapping the side of his head. "Now I’ll be able to sketch them out onto paper and show someone who might know what they mean."

Rayleigh nodded in understanding after that, the realization dawning on his face. This way was far safer than having to bring Ishtar with them.

—

A few hours later...

Eduardo and Mr. Stark were back on the road. In Ethan’s left hand was a clipboard, with a quill pen gripped in the right. The diagram on it was Ishtar’s markings, though they hadn’t been completed quite yet.

And that, at this moment, could be attributed to the fact that Ethan was staring at the system screens on display rather than the diagram.

[The Amplification trait can only be applied to and remain active on targets you share a direct magical connection with. This includes the summons bound to you]

[For other individuals, amplification requires sustained physical contact]

Ethan nodded slowly. So it could apply to his summons since they were connected to his magic, but would be far harder to execute when involving others who weren’t bound to him.

Then he took his attention away from the floating screen and looked out the window at the passing road.

"Eduardo, how far until we get there?"

Eduardo pointed toward the windscreen. "Based on the address, the next turn should be coming up."

He gestured to a part of the road that cut in by the right, and it was about five minutes away.

"Good," Ethan said, while extending his palm out, and willing the 10x multiplier rune to appear in the air above it.

The stone hovered there for a moment, before Ethan closed his hand around it and crushed it. The rune shattered into purple light fragments that dissolved into his skin.

Eduardo glanced at the rearview mirror for a brief second, catching sight of the glow, but continued driving without asking what that was.

[10x Multiplier Rune has been activated]

[All experience points gained by you and your summons on active tasks will be multiplied by 10 for the next 6 hours]

[Time Remaining: 5:59:58]

[Time Remaining: 5:59:57]

Right then, Ethan said in his thoughts, ’Begin your tasks, all of you.’