Risha sat alone, the silence of the chapel incomparable to the violence moments earlier. Herself lost within her thoughts, eyes staring longingly at the vacant area that had until recently been inhabited. The feisty young girl’s presence once again engraving itself into her soul.

"Fu... That girl. Always full of such surprises. Always surpassing my expectations," she quietly mused, smiling happily.

"I really let things get out of hand though... Didn’t I? And goodness gracious, she even tried to cast [Earthen King’s Grand Spear], I wonder if she was truly trying to destroy the entire district underneath a mountain... Oh well, I don’t think I’ve had this much fun in decades."

Releasing her magic, the illusions around the chapel broke down revealing the real damage that had been dealt out to her chamber. The once detailed masonry now laid smashed, strewn across the floor. While smouldering piles of rubble filled the room with a thin layer of black smoke.

Risha herself wasn’t in much better shape, her once perfectly styled hair and elegant dress now ruined, one frayed beyond belief, the other torn, shredded and charred. Her body felt heavy, the exhaustion of forcibly cancelling Alice’s magic having devastated her internal mana reserves.

"My, my... I know I said that one and a half million Marks was a paltry sum of money... but I’m not made of money. How much did she think this little rampage of her’s would cost! For crying out loud... I mean, some of these tapestries were priceless gifts from admirers!" She sighed haughtily, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Fu... Oh well. I must admit I’m quite proud of her growth, she’s a far cry from the scared little girl I first met all those years ago. Even if I couldn’t help raise her myself, putting her into Noelle’s care was really for the best. If she can stand up to me so differently she’ll have no issues dealing with what life throws her way," said Risha, her body relaxing, herself feeling great pride in what Alice had become.

"It’s on days like these that I miss you even more," Risha quietly whispered, reminiscing times long past, a lone string of tears rolling down across her cheek.

Next Chapter: Turmoil I - Wolves