Epherene, having rushed out of the Ages, stared at the desert floor, blinking in a daze. The landscape before her was indeed astonishing—so breathtaking that it was worth losing oneself in its sight, as though caught within a dream.0

"The sand mist is suspended," Epherene muttered in a daze.0

Then a dry laugh escaped Epherene as she saw the grains of sand suspended in the air, and understood that the empty space, the stagnant air, the preserved nature, and all these signs clearly pointed to one phenomenon—time had stopped.0

"... It should be released soon, shouldn't it?"0

I only need to wait a little, right? I don't understand why everything stopped so suddenly, but surely, if this is an accidental time stop, it won't remain frozen forever. It can't be an unplanned spell that powerful, Epherene thought.2

“But…”0

What if it doesn’t get released? 0

Epherene was suddenly afraid because the words of the ancient magic saints—that spontaneity and errors often led to great magic—came to her mind.0

… Gulp.0

Epherene swallowed, her mouth dry and feeling inexplicably anxious, Epherene unconsciously fumbled in the inner pocket of her robe, and her hand closed around a bundle of documents—Deculein’s exam problems.0

"... Y-Yeah. There's plenty of time to study now, which is certainly a good thing."1

If it's going to be released soon anyway, then I'll just be getting ahead in the meantime—after all, it will be released soon, Epherene thought.0

"Well... perhaps I should head back down," Epherene muttered, ruffling her hair as she made her way back into the Ages.0

The Ages remained frozen, and the motionless faces of Allen, Idnik, and Yulie were eerily frightening.0

However…0

"Magical errors can be figured out along the way," Epherene said, nodding as if it mattered little.0

Tick, tock—0

At that moment, a slight vibration emanated from the inner pocket of her robe, startling Epherene and prompting her to quickly reach inside.0

Tick, tock—0

The time on the wooden pocket...0