Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

House Carren Estate. The City of White Raven.

Within the confines of a sophisticated and meticulously maintained potion lab, two skilled potion-makers engaged in a complex and intricate brewing process.

A young man, his emerald green eyes occasionally gleaming with a distinctive light, observed the potion-making procedure with utmost attention, guiding a beautiful elf young woman through the intricate steps. Her concentration was palpable, her actions meticulously aligned with the young man's instructions, resulting in the creation of an exceptionally intricate concoction.

The young man in question was Eren, while the beautiful elfina standing before him, her countenance a blend of charm and elegance, was Lensa Carren.

Eren had promptly headed to the Carren Estate after his departure from Minerva's Utopia, commencing Lensa's training the moment they met. Of course, Lensa was the individual Eren intended to present to Minerva as the rightful heir to her complete legacy.

Having dedicated nearly a decade to the art of potioneering, Lensa exhibited remarkable talent in this domain. Her Abilities flourished, propelling her advancement through the ranks at an impressive pace. Mastery over her Elemental Attainments and her proficiency in manipulating light reached the pinnacle within her current rank, a testament to her relentless practice and unyielding effort.

Lensa's previous setback during Minerva's trial, marred by Sienna Slughorn's interference, had instilled profound lessons. Although she skillfully utilized the incident to dissolve her engagement with Ken, Lensa remained unsatisfied with the overall outcome.

This prompted her to intensify her dedication to potion-making. Following in Minerva's footsteps, she delved into the expansive field of alchemy, expanding her knowledge of diverse runic array formations to enhance her repertoire of potions.

In her pursuit, Lensa benefited from the guidance and resources offered by House Karren, which facilitated her growth in the craft. Her access to the exclusive elven wisdom concerning potion-making and alchemy propelled her rapid progress. Additionally, Eren's occasional assistance throughout the last nine years, woven into their time spent as a couple, further bolstered her skills as a potion-maker.

Lensa had demonstrated herself to be a proficient potion maker, treading a path akin to that of Minerva's expertise. It was this congruence that fueled Eren's confidence in her becoming Sage Minerva's true successor.

Lensa had been poised to undertake Minerva's tests once again, a preparation spanning a decade anyway. She had stayed in the Carren Estate that was located inside the City of White Raven for the same reason.

The episode involving Sienna had illuminated her shortcomings, spurring her growth. Save for the Test of Bravery, she had mastered all other challenges within Minerva's Utopia. Eren, well-acquainted with the test levels Lensa would encounter, initiated her guidance upon leaving Minerva's realm.

Today marked Eren's seventh and final day of mentoring Lensa. His knowledge in potioneering and alchemy had nearly caught up with hers, leaving him with little more to impart. Nonetheless, he offered insights on refining her spells and abilities with respect to the tests, elevating her chances of achieving perfect scores.

Having conquered these trials himself, the butcher had come up with the tactics that would ensure Lensa scored 100 out of 100 in each. Of course, since he had already taken permission from Sage Minerva, training her to improve a specific set of spells wouldn't be seen as a form of cheating by Meeli or the Utopia's pre-configured setup.

With her focus on the path of a potioneer, Lensa had tailored her combat style accordingly. It hinged on leveraging potions to augment her physical attributes and mana reservoir, weakening foes through potion-inflicted debuffs, and enhancing elemental spells with potion-derived effects. She had even mastered the art of generating potions from ambient mana, serving as both container and catalyst.

Lensa had also mastered a distinct summoning technique, conjuring spectral beasts as battle allies. Unlike conventional summoned entities, these spectral creatures were materialized with the potion's foundation rather than occupying mana bodies. Thus, their summoning didn't deplete Lensa's mana, relying instead on the potion's infused mana for attacks and recovery. As long as the potion's potency endured, these summoned creatures remained impervious to annihilation.

In his current guidance, Eren was directing Lensa to brew a series of potions enabling her to summon colossal Spectral Beasts. Upon integrating Eren's recommendations, these summoned beings would gain amplified power, equipping them to vanquish the shadow creatures that populated the Test of Bravery.

Lensahad elemental affinity with the light-element mana. Plus, her diabolic Ability allowed her to cause massive explosions. As a result, the Spectral Beasts she summoned using her potions came with a default "kill-switch."

Therefore, Eren was confident that Lensa would fare better than him in the Test of Bravery, which employed shadow creatures as adversaries. She had the elemental affinity that was the bane of the shadow creatures after all.

Moreover, the shadow-wielding Ranger Eren had faced as the Last Boss in the Test of Bravery had light-element capabilities as well. If Lensa could outmaneuver the Ranger on his own turf, deploying her Spectral Beasts, she stood a chance to triumph over this trial. As for contending with pain, Eren advised Lensa to rely on numbing potions.

Throughout the week, Eren subjected Lensa to various tests, refining her approach to each challenge. He mated with her throughout the course of the week, eliminating the Sin of Lust Brand from her soul.

This maneuver aimed to ensure Lensa encountered no impediments when she accepted the Virtue Series Mark. All of these measures were steps toward Eren's goal of attaining the control of Minerva's Utopia after successfully designating Lensa as the rightful heir to Minerva's legacy.

The massive volumetric flask, seemingly crafted from pure light-element mana, autonomously heated as Lensa activated the runes inscribed upon it. With control over the runic array formation laid out before her, she orchestrated the potion-making process and incorporated additional ingredients into the mixture within the flask.

At the moment of addition, signs of destabilization rippled through the potion, and the flask itself appeared on the brink of rupture. However, Lensa adeptly intervened, adjusting the mana output to quell the destabilization before catastrophe struck.

"Haah... It's done."

AN: Lensa attempts the Test of Patience for the first time in chapter 702. Sienna interferes in Lensa's test in chapter 705. Eren brands Lensa with the Mist of Lust Ability in chapter 765.