"That's cheating! It's not like you were the one who killed all those trolls,"
Reno grumbled as they made their way back through the dark forest, not wanting to deal with the swarm of trolls that had been attracted by the earlier commotion in the now-destroyed troll den.
Ardiel, wiping off some dirt from his sleeve, raised an eyebrow.
"Were you even watching? Elder Eleonore purposely avoided the trolls with her attacks. Her focus was all on me—just me."
Reno shook his head, a mix of awe and frustration clear on his face.
"Oh, I watched. But it just felt like those trolls were nothing but kids to the two of you."
The truth was, Ardiel had used nearly all his mana maintaining the pseudo black hole during the fight.
Sure, it looked effortless, but it drained him.
The spell wasn't perfect, and he could only sustain it for about ten minutes—any longer, and it would put a dangerous strain on his Mana Heart.
