I. A Silent Evening
One evening, upon completing his mana meditation, Arthur felt exhausted yet profoundly at peace. The "Mana Pumping" technique strained his body with every pulse, but he could feel his reservoir steadily expanding. That night, Anna brought dinner to his quarters herself.
"You did well today, Arthur," Anna said. Her eyes had shed their typical commander's frost, replaced by a more contemplative warmth. "The speed at which you draw in external mana is beginning to rival that of a high-born Elf. This Seal truly is a magnificent anomaly."
They ate in silence. Arthur couldn't help but smile, watching Anna eat with the same natural, unpretentious grace she had possessed in their former life.
"Anna," Arthur said after they had finished. "You remember that world as clearly as I do. But you were born here as a Noble Elf. Your life must be worlds apart from what it was."
Anna set her silver goblet on the table and gazed out the window at the Elven gardens. The flora glowed with a vibrant, perpetual emerald hue, fueled by the surrounding mana.
"My life as an Elf... it was never as perfect as it appeared from the outside, Arthur. Yes, our mana is abundant. But Noble Elves view mana not just as power, but as destiny. From the moment I was born, I carried the crushing weight of being the Queen's niece—of being groomed to lead and command this Kingdom."
II. Anna's Regret
Anna turned back to Arthur. The sorrow in her eyes struck him deeply. This was not the disdain of a Commander mocking an F-Class commoner; it was the raw, sincere regret of a friend.
"In that old world, you were the symbol of a simple, honest life to me. High school, being neighbors, the mundane things. Unlike my life here—saturated with mana but stifled by duty—you were always free. And I lost that simple life because of my own complicated Elven fate."
"The moment I took my own life," Anna continued, her voice trembling slightly, "my only thought was this: Arthur died for me, yet I did not live a life worthy of his sacrifice. When I arrived here, despite the hardships of being a powerful Elf, I made a vow: I would live this life with honor."
Arthur finally understood why she had been so generous, why she felt it was her duty to protect him. Anna was attempting to atone for the guilt of her past life through honorable actions in this new one.
"You cannot imagine the pain I felt knowing you had ended your life for me," Arthur said softly. "But we are here now. In the same place, yet on vastly different paths."
III. A Shared Destiny
Anna offered a small smile. "Different paths, yet they have intersected once more. But let me warn you, Arthur. For a Noble Elf of my standing to show such proximity to you... it is perilous. Rivals like Lord Faerondil will attempt to use my interest in you to undermine my position."
"So, you are making me a target?"
"Precisely," Anna replied with blunt honesty. "But you are no longer that ordinary F-Class boy. You are the only F-Class in existence capable of freezing a Shadow Spell out of the air. I will provide you with the tools to grow stronger, Arthur. In return, you must promise me one thing: that you will never use this power against me."
Arthur looked deep into the eyes of his old friend, now a powerful Commander whose trust he had to earn.
"I promise, Anna. I will use this power only to survive, and perhaps to help end this senseless war. I will not betray you."
That moment sealed a new pact between two old friends—representatives of two different races and two different worlds. Arthur was no longer merely a prisoner; he had become the secret weapon of a powerful Commander within the Elven Palace.
lV. Promotion: E-Class
Under Anna's watchful eye, Arthur practiced Equilibrium Meditation for an entire month. During each session, he gently pried open the door to the Seal's pressure chamber, drawing the external Mana Ocean into himself. Though this process left him utterly exhausted every time, the results were nothing short of miraculous.
At the end of the month, Arthur's mana reservoir had expanded so significantly that when Anna tested him with a new Mana Measurement Crystal, the result had changed.
"Congratulations, Arthur," Anna said, a look of pure pride on her face. "Your mana level is now E-Class."
For the first time in his life, Arthur felt the exhilaration of possessing as much mana as an ordinary noble. This was his liberation from the humiliating F-Class label of Barren Town.
"Now, let's put your strength into practice," Anna said.
In a secluded training area of the palace, Arthur tested his Ice Magic with his increased mana. Instead of merely creating an Ice Needle, he attempted to expend his entire reservoir in a single manifestation.
The First Display of Frost: Arthur pushed his entire E-Class mana through the Seal. The high-density, freezing mana erupted around him, forming a solid, two-meter-high Frost Shield as clear as crystal.
Anna whistled in admiration. "Incredible! An E-Class mage could never create a shield this sturdy and dense. The Seal's pressure is multiplying the potency of your mana!"
However, immediately after creating the shield, Arthur staggered. The spell had consumed his entire reservoir.
"You're still an E-Class mage," Anna said with a chuckle. "But your spell is equivalent to a B-Class defensive magic. This will buy you a lot of time in a real fight."
V. The Alliance's Strike and a Commander's Farewell
Just as Anna and Arthur were celebrating this achievement, a loud alarm blared through the Palace. An Elven messenger rushed into the training grounds, drenched in sweat.
"Commander Anna! Disaster! The Orcs and Humans have formed an alliance and are attacking the border towns of Aflion! The Orcs have breached the front lines with their mana-nullifying armor. The towns are being pillaged. The Queen has ordered your immediate deployment to the front!"
The news hit like a shockwave. Orcs were savage, powerful creatures—often shunned by mana itself. Their physical strength was four times that of humans, and their armor rendered magical strikes ineffective. This was a grave threat to Elven sorcery.
The joy on Anna's face vanished instantly. "An alliance between Orcs and Humans? This changes the rules of war."
She turned to Arthur as she hurriedly donned her armor.
"Arthur, I have to go. Between the Orcs and rivals like Faerondil... palace politics might be more dangerous than the battlefield."
"I can't let you go alone, I'm coming with you!" Arthur insisted.
"No! You are still officially a human prisoner. Your presence on the front lines would only spark rumors about me. Stay in the palace. Continue to expand your mana. Your mission is to grow stronger."
Anna hugged Arthur—a brief, sincere embrace that was a testament to their old bond. "I'll be back soon, old friend. Don't get into trouble."
She departed at the head of her army. From the window, Arthur watched hundreds of Elven warriors under Anna's command march rapidly toward the western border.
VI. The Decree of Banishment
Only a day after Anna's departure, Arthur's greatest fear was realized.
Lord Faerondil, exercising emergency authority from the Royal Council, arrived at Arthur's room flanked by guards.
"Human," Faerondil said, a cold triumphant smirk on his face. "Commander Anna has been deployed to a critical mission. The 'special guest' status she illegally granted you poses a risk to the Kingdom in these times of peril."
"Commander Anna ordered me to stay!" Arthur protested.
"Anna's orders hold weight on the battlefield. In the Palace, the orders of the Royal Council are absolute," Faerondil hissed. "Despite being F-Class, your abnormal mana structure makes you a potential spy. Instead of imprisoning you, we have found a more... practical solution."
Faerondil unfurled a scroll and read aloud: "The human captive, Arthur, is hereby ordered to be immediately banished to the nearest Human Kingdom border outpost and released."
Faerondil smiled cruelly. "Go back to the filth of your own Kingdom where you belong, human. I guarantee that by the time Anna returns, you will have long been forgotten."
Arthur was in shock. Anna's protection was gone. Two guards seized his arms. Arthur's newly acquired E-Class mana and Frost Shield were not enough to face so many Elven soldiers alone.
Two days later, with nothing but his old rucksack and his new E-Class mana, Arthur was cast onto the cold, stony earth in front of the nearest human border outpost.
The Elven gates slammed shut behind him. Arthur had been sent back to the world he loathed. But now, he was a man with E-Class power, Sealed Frost, and the secrets of two kingdoms.