Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1498 - 515: Underground and At Sea

"To be honest, in my eyes, you are the true personification of knightly virtues," Rein expressed with total sincerity.

Rein felt a profound sense of admiration for the sophisticated, stunning, and intelligent woman standing before him, fueled by both Menia’s bravery in the recent conflict and the glimpses of her memories he had perceived within her consciousness fragments.

Even though he hadn't assimilated every single fragment of Menia’s consciousness, he had witnessed more than enough to grasp the core of her character.

Menia was visibly startled by Rein’s sudden praise.

By the time she regained her composure, she realized that Rein’s intense gaze was still fixed upon her.

Under normal circumstances, Menia would have taken offense at such a lack of etiquette.

In the past, she would have felt insulted even if the person looking was Rein.

But things were different now.

Without her even realizing it, the process of fusing their consciousness had created an inexplicable, natural bond and a sense of deep familiarity with him.

In some ways, this connection felt more intimate than the bond between lovers.

On the other side, Rein’s perception of Menia had shifted entirely; looking at her now felt as natural as looking at Anna, like someone he had known for a lifetime.

"Thank you."

Under Rein's unwavering stare, the usually powerful and regal 'Red Queen' Menia felt a rare wave of shyness, her cheeks flushing as she did something completely out of character—she lowered her head before a young man.

Anyone witnessing this scene would have been absolutely stunned.

To Rein, however, the current Menia seemed to possess a blend of her usual majesty and a new, mature feminine charm that made it nearly impossible for him to turn his eyes away.

"Re... Rein, I require some time to recuperate."

"Ahem... of course, Prince Menia," Rein replied with a quick nod, attempting to mask his brief loss of focus.

"I have healing potions with me, but they might not be very effective against the backlash of the Dragon Blood Sacrifice. It will likely take me several days to regain even a fraction of my combat strength."

Menia’s striking eyes surveyed the area, weighing whether their current location was truly secure.

"Rest easy, Prince Menia. As long as I am standing guard, you can recover here without worry," Rein promised her immediately.

"Is there anything else I can do to assist you?"

He had already observed that while Prince Menia seemed physically intact, her aura had become dangerously frail and erratic.

She was barely holding onto her status as a Fourth Level Dawn Wizard.

Without swift medical attention or a period of recovery, there was a serious risk she would lose her rank as a Dawn Wizard entirely.

This was the expected price of such a powerful secret technique; the side effects were notoriously brutal.

Under normal circumstances, Menia would have been fated for death after performing the Dragon Blood Sacrifice.

Luckily, Rein had been the one receiving the sacrifice, and as an anomaly, he had managed to halt the process and return the essence to its rightful owner.

Still, it wasn't as simple as returning a borrowed item.

The process involved incredibly intricate and delicate shifts in power. Even with a successful recovery, Rein estimated that her strength would drop by at least one sub-level, likely leaving her as a Fourth Level Dawn Middle Stage Wizard at best.

If she didn't stabilize soon, she could easily slide back to the Dawn Initial Stage.

In the worst-case scenario, her Cultivation might even plummet to the Third Level Crystalization Peak.

"I appreciate it, but there is no need for now," Menia said, shaking her head.

"Very well. If you need anything at all, just let me know."

While Menia began her deep meditation, Rein performed another thorough sweep of the area, confirming that no dangerous creatures lurked in the Dark Lake or the surrounding stone walls before returning to her side.

"We are hundreds of meters underground, and the siphon effect of the lake above should make it nearly impossible for the Sea God Sect to find us."

"Still, considering the scale of what happened, the Federation will likely be in an uproar."

He had attempted to send a witchcraft message, but the depth of their underground cavern seemed to block the witchcraft waves, preventing him from reaching Reginald.

"I wonder if Crown Reginald managed to get away safely?"

After thinking it over, Rein shook his head, realizing that trying to contact Reginald might be too risky.

It wasn't that he mistrusted Reginald, but if high-ranking wizards from the Sea God Sect were patrolling the island, they might detect the fluctuations of a witchcraft message being sent.

With his attribute points running low, drawing the Sea God Sect here while Menia was mid-recovery would be a disaster.

However, Rein had plenty to keep him occupied.

Aside from reflecting on his combat experiences, he decided to study the Goblin engineering knowledge he had stored in his mind, even though he lacked the materials for Elf leatherworking or Goblin inventions.

Haleem had previously shared his research, which had pushed Rein’s progress toward the prerequisite for becoming a Goblin Engineer (Legendary)—'mastering relevant Goblin engineering knowledge'—to 63%.

Rein intended to utilize the time during Menia’s recovery to see if he could increase that percentage further.