Chapter 872: Give Me Something Challenging

The cheerful, enthusiastic woman who had been peppering Ragnora with questions about cart wheels and siege tactics had vanished.

In her place, for just a few moments, had stood someone who radiated genuine menace.

"Did you see her eyes?" One soldier muttered. "They went completely glacial. Like a winter storm."

"Was she possessed? Is that a thing that can happen? Do archmages get possessed!?"

"No, you idiot! That was all her. That was pure her."

"I guess that’s the power of love." Another said nervously. "Even the gentlest person turns dangerous when someone threatens the one they care about."

"Remind me never to insult anyone she cares about. Ever."

Even Ragnora, who had faced down ancient horrors without flinching, found herself making a mental note not to provoke Isabelle unnecessarily.

—

Meanwhile, Isabelle had returned to Cassius’s side.

"Did you really have to do that, Isabelle?" Cassius asked gently, rubbing her back. "I was the one who went too far earlier. She was simply retaliating against my comments."

Isabelle pouted.

"She called you a fraud, darling! Of all the things to call you—a fraud!? When you’re the most brilliant man I’ve ever known!?"

She stamped her foot, a gesture so childishly indignant that it was hard to reconcile with the glacial terror of moments before.

"I simply couldn’t bear it! Anyone who truly knows you would have been just as furious!"

Her bravado then faltered. She looked down at her hands, fingers fidgeting nervously.

"Are you...Are you angry with me, my love? For losing control like that? I know I should have been more composed, but I just—"

Cassius pulled her close, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"Angry?" He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "What kind of husband would I be if I got angry at my wife for defending me against injustice? I was standing there thinking how impossibly lucky I am to have you."

Isabelle gazed up at him with heart-shaped eyes.

"Darling..."

She looked for a moment like she might kiss him right there, audience be damned.

But she held back, settling for melting further into his embrace.

—

A tiny throat cleared nearby.

Sisi had returned, hovering at a cautious distance. She was looking at Isabelle the way a mouse might look at a cat that had recently reminded everyone it was, in fact, a cat.

"Sir Cassius." She said, her voice carefully neutral. "I neglected to ask earlier—what is your magical specialization? Runes? Alchemy? Enchantments?"

She straightened her tiny lab coat.

"I possess advanced knowledge of enchantment theory and lead this department. I can administer a test on any subject you prefer."

Cassius’s response was immediate and confident.

"Anything will suffice."

Sisi blinked. "I...beg your pardon?"

"Exactly what I said. Give me anything." His eyes gleamed with challenge. "In fact, since you’re so determined to test me, give me a proper challenge. The hardest challenge you can possibly devise. Something that would make even me flinch."

Sisi was utterly baffled. Was this man asking to be humiliated?

She instinctively glanced toward Isabelle, half-expecting the terrifying archmage to object.

But Isabelle simply smiled pleasantly, the same innocent smile that had preceded her earlier fury and waved her hand.

"Go ahead, Miss Sisi. Give my husband whatever challenge you desire. Make it as difficult as possible."

Her smile widened, but there was something sharp behind it.

"It’s only through such trials that everyone will realize just how capable he truly is."

The contrast between Isabelle’s sweet words and the memory of her earlier coldness was deeply unsettling. Sisi swallowed hard and nodded.

"Then I’ll focus on enchantments." She said, regaining some of her professional composure. "That’s where I can set the most rigorous test."

She glanced at Cassius with a doubtful expression.

"But are you certain you want this? The task I have in mind is extraordinarily complex. Even my own fairies would struggle with it."

"Bring it." Cassius scoffed. "I don’t believe there’s a mage in existence who could get one over on me—" He looked directly at Sisi with a smirk. "—especially not someone like you."

Sisi’s wings buzzed with fury. Her earlier guilt evaporated.

"F-Fine! Wait right there, Sir Cassius! I’ll give you a challenge you’ll most certainly regret!"

She shot back to her workbench like an angry hornet.

Soon the laboratory was filled with the sounds of intense activity—buzzing wings, clinking glass, the soft hum of mana being channeled.

Every few seconds, Sisi glanced over her shoulder at Cassius with an expression that promised imminent humiliation.

—

Ragnora stepped closer to Cassius.

"There was no need to provoke her like that." She murmured. "Despite her size, Sisi is an extremely capable mage. She’s a fairy, after all—her kind has an innate affinity for mana and especially for runic combinations."

"If she truly wants to make this difficult for you, she will."

Cassius waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t worry, Commander. Magic in whatever form it takes is as easy to me as kissing my wife for me."

And before anyone could react, he proceeded to demonstrate, planting kisses along Isabel’s cheek with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Kiss!♡~ Kiss!♡~ Kiss!♡~

Isabelle’s face turned crimson. "D-Darling!"

Kiss!♡~

He finally pulled back, grinning at Ragnora.

"See? No resistance at all. Just like magic—it comes to me naturally."

The female soldiers nearby immediately swooned, whispering excitedly.

"Gods above, Sir Cassius really is a man among men!"

"Right?! He’s not afraid to show his affection in public at all!"

A wolfkin woman violently elbowed the wolfkin soldier standing next to her.

"Look at him and learn something! Whenever I ask you to just hold my hand in public, you whine and act like I’m asking you to fight a dragon!"

"Because it’s embarrassing!" the male wolfkin whimpered, rubbing his bruised arm. "Everyone stares and makes fun of me later!"

"You’re pathetic!" She huffed, turning her back on him.

The male soldiers exchanged long-suffering glances, all of them shooting Cassius looks that clearly said: You’re making the rest of us look bad.

Isabelle, dying of second-hand embarrassment, bowed her head deeply to Ragnora.

"I am so, so sorry, Commander...my husband can be...deeply shameless from time to time. Please forgive us for showing you such an indecent display."

Ragnora couldn’t help the small, amused smile that crept onto her face.

"There’s no need to apologize, Isabelle. You two have a remarkably harmonious and beautiful relationship. I don’t think anyone here can fault you for that."

She paused, a rare nostalgic look crossing her eyes.

"In fact...seeing you two interact like this actually reminds me of a book I read recently. The main couple had a very wholesome, deeply devoted dynamic..."

"Commander Ragnora reads romance novels?"

Ragnora’s cheeks colored slightly, a surprisingly human reaction from such an imposing figure.

"That’s...not what I...it was simply a story that happened to..."

But before she could finish her flustered explanation, Sisi’s voice cut through the room.

"It’s finished! The test...the test is complete!"

Sisi was slowly hovering back across the room, but she was visibly struggling. Her tiny wings were working overtime, her face dripping with sweat and looking thoroughly spent.

In her tiny arms, she cradled what looked like a gauntlet, a piece of armor designed for a human hand, covered in intricate runes and fitted with a crystal on the palm.

She reached Cassius and dropped it into his waiting hands.

"Catch!"

Cassius caught it effortlessly. He turned it over, examining the runes, then tossed it up and caught it a few times as though it weighed nothing at all.

"I asked for a test." He said dryly. "Not something that looks like it could wipe out half the universe with a single snap."

"Wipe out half the universe?"

Sisi looked bewildered by the statement but quickly composed herself, drawing herself up with pride.

"You misunderstand...This is the test!"

She gestured at the gauntlet.

"Before you is an advanced magical gauntlet containing a dormant mana core, seven empty rune channels, three partially burned inscriptions, and a cracked resonance crystal."

She folded her tiny arms. "Your task is simple. Make it functional!"

Cassius examined the gauntlet more closely, while she went on to explain in detail.

"This gauntlet was originally designed to absorb ambient mana, convert it into kinetic force, and release that force through the user’s palm."

"However, the original enchantment has been deliberately damaged. You will have to reconstruct the entire system."

Sisi began ticking off points on her tiny fingers.

"First—determine which of the seven rune channels corresponds to mana intake, purification, compression, conversion, stabilization, discharge, and feedback regulation."

"Then reconstruct the missing inscriptions without changing the physical structure of the gauntlet."

She produced seven rune fragments and placed them beside the gauntlet.

"These fragments are authentic, but deliberately incompatible with one another. Three belong to the original system. Two belong to completely different enchantment architectures."

"One even contains a reversed polarity. The final fragment is incomplete. Determine which is which."

She then placed a mana crystal on the table.

"Next—the resonance problem. The crystal has a natural oscillation frequency of 8.73 thaumic units. The gauntlet’s primary mana circuit resonates at 11.42. If connected directly, the interference will cause progressive mana accumulation."

"You must construct a secondary resonance sigil allowing both systems to operate simultaneously without destructive harmonic feedback."

Sisi’s smile sharpened with a hint of cunningness.

"Once that’s complete, you face the final issue. The crystal has absorbed traces of four elemental affinities: fire, lightning, wind, and earth. Your enchantment must contain a dynamic alignment sequence capable of identifying the dominant affinity at any moment and automatically reconfiguring the rune pathways accordingly."

A second fairy laid a blank silver plate beside the gauntlet.

"And one final rule. You may create only one new sigil. Everything else must be constructed from the existing inscriptions. That single sigil must simultaneously prevent overload, stabilize the resonance crystal, and prevent the feedback circuit from interfering with the user’s nervous system."

The room had gone completely silent.

Sisi folded her hands behind her back.

"You have four hours. If you misidentify even one rune, the enchantment fails."

"If your resonance calculation is incorrect, the crystal fractures."

"If your feedback regulation is insufficient, the gauntlet discharges through the user. And if your final sigil is improperly designed..."

She chuckled triumphally like she was very proud of what she cooked up.

"...the entire enchantment collapses the moment the gauntlet reaches maximum output."

She stepped back.

"And now...you may begin."

The moment the challenge was laid out, Cassius didn’t start.

Instead pandemonium erupted among the fairies.

"Sisi, you’ve gone too far!" One of them cried, flying to her leader’s side. "There’s no way anyone can complete that in just an hour!"

"Even I would need at least a week to work through those calculations!" Another added. "This isn’t a test—it’s bullying!"

"I know you don’t like him, but this is cruel!"

Brenda leaned down toward the fairies. "Is it really that hard?"

"You don’t understand, Brenda!" A fairy cried out, spinning around in frustration. "There are layers upon layers of impossible logic trapped in that task! Sisi is basically handing Sir Cassius a death sentence!"

"There’s no way anyone completes that even in a day!"

"I could do it!" Sisi huffed defensively, crossing her arms.

"That’s because enchantments are your literal life’s work!" The fairy fired back. "And even with your forty years of experience, you would barely finish it in time! Giving a guest a task like this is completely absurd!"

Ragnora stepped forward, her expression stern.

"Sisi, I think you need to assign a different task. We cannot subject our guests to impossible demands."

Sisi felt utterly aggrieved.

He was the one who had asked for the most difficult challenge possible!

He had insulted the Magic Tower and challenged her pride!

Now everyone was acting like she was the villain?

But even she had to admit that perhaps she’d gone too far.

The task was nearly impossible, even for her. There was no way a stranger, regardless of how talented could complete it in the allotted time.

She opened her mouth to retract the challenge.

"Alright, fine. I’ll change—"

"I’ll do it."