The first reply Sein received came from his mentor.

In truth, Lorianne’s response had been remarkably swift. Sein’s earlier sense of a long delay had simply been the result of his own impatience.

In her message, Lorianne told him that she was already aware of the situation and had reported it to Grandmaster Feylis.

She knew about the relationship between Sein and Leena. Back then, she had even arranged for Leena to receive an identity badge from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

How could Lorianne and Mikaeli be so different?

Both were mentors, yet one would sacrifice everything for her apprentice, while the other had tried to destroy the very apprentice who saved her life.

Lorianne’s message also carried good news—Grandmaster Feylis had successfully advanced to the peak of Rank Six!

Lorianne’s delayed response was because Feylis had just completed her breakthrough, and Lorianne had gone to help prepare restorative and stabilizing potions.

One was her most outstanding grand apprentice; the other was her most cherished apprentice.

If both of them asked for help, Feylis would never stand aside and do nothing!

In fact, she had already begun investigating the peak Rank Four mage named Jerry.

According to Lorianne, if they could resolve the issue with Jerry and take Leena’s previous contributions during the Clash of Civilizations into account, there was a strong chance she could be released.

After reading his mentor’s reply, Sein finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Although he had met many people on the frontlines over the years, his network was still weak. For example, at the Atlan Interstellar Prison, he had no powerful connections.

He did not know Warden Norton or the two deputy wardens.

Although he had recently formed a decent rapport with Byron, that Rank Four knight was only a regular garrison knight. He could watch over the prisoners inside, but he had no authority to release anyone.

Worried about Leena’s situation, Sein ended up contacting Klopp of the Western Archipelago not long after arriving at the prison.

To his surprise, the busy knight overlord actually answered his call.

After hearing Sein’s explanation, Klopp did not respond right away. After a brief silence, he simply said, “Understood.”

Sein had even offered to give up all the mission rewards he had earned on the civilizational battlefields in exchange for Leena’s pardon.

He also declared that he was willing to accept any assignment from the Magus Civilization.

Klopp gave no further comment, but his silence only made Sein feel even more uneasy.

***

The days of waiting were agonizing.

Before he realized it, Sein had already spent a year and a half at the Atlan Interstellar Prison.

During that time, he felt listless and uninspired, no matter what experiments he tried to conduct.

Even the prison’s unusual magic-jamming and suppression effects failed to spark his research interest.

His happiest moments came during the brief visits with Leena every three months.

Although Mikaeli always managed to interrupt, simply being near Leena brought Sein a sense of calm.

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking about you the whole time I was on the frontlines,” Sein admitted.

“Me too,” Leena murmured shyly, lowering her gaze.

“I’ve gathered many gifts for you—some treasures from the distant Amenkha Empire and the Luminara Civilization. I’ll show them to you once you’ve been released,” Sein promised.

“Mhm,” Leena replied, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Treasures from the Amenkha Empire? Where did you scoundrel get all these goodies?” Mikaeli suddenly interrupted them.

“And could you hurry up and get us out of here already? This place’s horrid,” she added. “Do you remember the Rank Four black mage you once threw into this interstellar prison?”

“That Rank Four Tower Master of Bone? He dares target you?” Sein frowned.

He certainly had not forgotten how he once used Tourmaline and White Stella’s influence to have a Rank Four black mage from Blackhaven imprisoned in the Atlan Interstellar Prison.

He had not expected the man to still be here.

“With me protecting her for now, he doesn’t dare act. But over time, who knows?” Mikaeli replied. “That fellow has befriended several Rank Four and Rank Five prisoners from other realms inside the prison. That Byron you know may not always be able to shield us.”

No matter how much Mikaeli rushed him, Sein had no way to get them out immediately.

Furrowing his brow in thought, he asked, “That black lumenstone you had me send out three months ago—what exactly was it for?”

As an ancient being who had lived for tens of thousands of years, Mikaeli had built up considerable connections within both Blackhaven and Magus World.

The black lumenstone she asked Sein to deliver was also part of her plan to save herself.

Sein had helped her send it out, thinking it could not hurt to try.

However, he did not know where the lumenstone’s final destination was.

“Why are you meddling?” Mikaeli snapped. “If I can’t rely on you, can’t I figure things out myself?”

“Aren’t you connected to Lorthisra in Blackhaven? Get her involved. Maybe we could get out without even needing to alert that person. Why haven’t you done that yet?”

Sein could not be bothered to waste his breath on this Rank Five black mage, who disgusted him badly.

Glancing at her coldly, he said, “Would you kindly get lost? Visiting time is already down to thirteen sandglasses. Let Leena and me have a few more moments alone.”

As a Rank Five mage himself, Sein showed Mikaeli no deference.

Surprisingly, Mikaeli did not argue back after being shut down by him. She simply rolled her eyes through Leena’s body before fading away.

Sein had already realized that Mikaeli had very limited control over Leena’s body.

Leena had mentioned that most of the control over her current body still rested with herself.

It seemed like her mentor’s soul had suffered severe damage.

From Mikaeli’s perspective, the situation was not entirely her fault.

After all, she had been hanging by a thread at the time. The Rank Four apprentice she had nurtured for years stood right before her, and Leena had also inherited the Cinderbone Flame.

What else could she do but seize Leena’s body? Willingly hand over all her accumulated power and the last of her soul energy to Leena?

No way!

Mikaeli was a Rank Five black mage through and through. Every decision she made was driven by self-interest.

Under Sein’s influence, however, Leena had never truly become a pure black mage.

Otherwise, back in the Gallant Federation, she would have reacted far more coldly instead of rushing to save her after learning that her mentor had been surrounded and gravely wounded!

The bond between Sein and Leena, along with the genuine affection they shared, stirred an unfamiliar feeling within the ancient monster residing inside Leena’s body.

She had not felt such emotional warmth for tens of thousands of years.

Black mages were more extreme than most Magus World mages.

Behind their twisted and perverse psyches often lay a profound emptiness—and a quiet sense of longing.