An uninvited guest suddenly appeared at the party. 

With grey hair, brown eyes and a plain face, the man had blocked Cier Bayern’s path with the kind of cheap theatrics you might see in a marketplace. 

And… he was also the man who had helped Ariel. 

As Kylance left the party, he motioned for Deryl to follow. 

He knew exactly who the man was. 

Despite his appearance, the man was anything but ordinary. 

He was Aster Magicos, the most famous 9th Circle Archmage on the continent. 

He was also the youngest head of the Mage Tower. 

Kylance knew his true identity because Aster Magicos himself had revealed his magical power.

Magic detection.

Kylance was not a mage, and this was something only a mage could do. 

However, the royal family of the Pentium Empire had been blessed by the Archmages at the founding of the Empire, and as a result they were born with a certain amount of magical blood flowing through their veins. 

As a result, several previous generations of royalty had produced mages. Over time, however, this blessing had diminished, and it had become extremely rare for mages to be born. 

Still, thanks to this blessing, Kylance had some mana of his own, even if he could never become a mage. 

He could sense the mana of mages up to the 5th circle, but he couldn’t sense the mana of someone as powerful as Aster, a 9th circle archmage. 

But Aster had deliberately released his mana, enough for Kylance to notice. 

But to be honest, even if Aster hadn’t deliberately released his mana, Kylance would have eventually found out who the man was. 

As the duke of the empire with the largest territory on the continent, Kylance had crossed paths with Aster many times. 

Moreover, as someone who was approaching the level of a swordsman, the contrast between a mage and himself made Kylance even more sensitive to Aster’s intense magical presence. 

And the head of the Mage Tower must have known this. So why did he deliberately reveal his magical power to him? 

Was he worried that Kylance wouldn’t discover Aster’s true identity? 

Why go that far? 

If Aster wanted to reveal his identity and get special treatment, he could have just revealed his status from the beginning and come to the Empire officially. 

The head of the Mage Tower was one of the highest ranks even among archmages – almost like a king of a nation.

So when the head of the Mage Tower visited a country, he was treated with the utmost respect, and the Pentium Empire was no exception. 

But Aster hadn’t come officially. He had simply let his mana flow, without even using a polymorphic spell to hide his identity. 

This suggested that his visit was not official, but rather unofficial… 

What could be so urgent that he had to release his mana, almost as a warning? 

Could it be… Ariel? 

For a moment, Kylance’s mind flashed back to the image of the head of the Mage Tower standing next to Ariel. 

Kylance tried to push aside the anxious pounding of his heart and focus his thoughts. 

More importantly, why had Aster suddenly entered the Marquis of Bayern’s estate in disguise? 

Even though the Mage Tower usually refrained from getting involved in political affairs, the head of the Mage Tower moving in secret like this couldn’t be dismissed as a mere coincidence. He had to consider the political implications. 

Was there something in Bayern? 

Aster’s mysterious actions had now become entangled with political matters, and Kylance furrowed his brow, his nerves on edge. 

But his agitation didn’t last long.

“My lord left… not long after, he got into the Marquis of Blanté’s carriage and got off at Teiran Street. Then he disappeared with magic, and I couldn’t follow him.” 

Upon hearing Deryl’s account, Kylance froze for a moment before asking slowly, 

“He… got into the Marquis of Blanté’s carriage? With the Blanté young lady?” 

In an instant, the heartbeat he had been trying to ignore began to race again, filled with anxiety. Deryl lowered his eyes and nodded slowly. 

“Yes. From the moment they left the party, he accompanied the young lady. After a brief conversation… when the Duchess of Viasteus left the party, the young lady took him to the carriage.” 

Ariel was accompanied by the head of the Mage Tower…

It was the moment when the unsettling possibility that had made his heart race and his thoughts chill became undeniable. 

“Ha.” 

Kylance twisted his expression into something grotesque and let out a short, mocking laugh. 

The head of the Mage Tower had really stepped forward because of Ariel. 

Why? 

Kylance couldn’t understand the Mage Tower’s intentions, but what irritated him even more was the fact that the head of the Mage Tower was interested in Ariel, for whatever reason. 

He remembered the sight of the two of them at the party. 

More specifically, Aster’s benevolent gaze as he looked at Ariel.

They had got into the same carriage and left together. 

What had they talked about? And what had Ariel looked like when she looked at Aster? 

As these thoughts flooded his mind, Kylance felt a wave of intense emotion rise within him. 

It was jealousy. 

Kylance paused, the heat of jealousy stirring in his chest, and snapped back to reality. 

What am I thinking… Jealousy? 

Kylance sighed in disbelief. 

It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? 

He was the one who had cruelly abandoned Ariel, the one who had sworn to forget her existence. 

And now, jealousy? A passing dog would laugh at him for it. 

Control yourself. 

He chastised himself harshly, but the emotions boiling inside him wouldn’t go away. 

It was as if he couldn’t forget her green eyes staring back at him at the party. 

She is the daughter of the Marquis Blanté. The daughter of his enemy. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if to regain his composure, then opened them again. 

“Did you think they would meet again?” 

“I couldn’t hear their conversation in the carriage, so I couldn’t find out more. My apologies.”

Deril said, lowering his head.

Ariel doesn’t know he’s the head of the Mage Tower, but the head of the Mage Tower knows exactly who Ariel is. 

Kylance didn’t understand why the head of the Mage Tower was interested in Ariel, but he had a strong feeling that their meeting would not be a one-off. 

Aster Magicos was as indifferent to others as Kylance. 

For someone like him to give up his mana for Ariel… there must be something between them that Kylance didn’t know. 

And if the head of the Mage Tower wanted to help the family of the Blanté Marquis because of Ariel… 

“That cannot happen.”

Kylance murmured in a low voice, his eyes sharp with determination. Then he spoke to Deryl in a cold tone. 

“Find out where the head of the Mage Tower is in the capital. Keep a close eye on him. And if he… visits young Blanté, inform me immediately.” 

“Understood, my lord.” 

With a formal nod, Deryl left the office. 

Kylance, feeling a dark, oppressive sadness, ran a hand through his hair. His eyes then fell on a set of documents on his desk. 

The documents detailed the debts of the Blanté family. 

The largest amount was owed to the Kuno Trading House, and the Kuno Trading House was putting a lot of pressure on the Marquis’ family. 

Kylance stared silently at the papers before ringing the bell. 

Soon Lowell entered the office. 

“You called for me, Your Highness?” 

“Lowell, get a million krang in cash ready by tomorrow. I need to send it to someone.” 

As soon as Lowell entered the office, Kylance gave his order. 

“Yes, where shall I send it?” 

“To the estate of the Marquis of Blanté.” 

“Pardon?”

Had he heard wrong?

Lowell, always diligent in his duties, asked again with a surprised expression, but Kylance’s face remained unchanged.

His ears had not deceived him. Lowell quickly regained his composure and bowed.

“I will prepare it immediately.”

As Lowell left the office, Kylance stared at the documents with a dark look before turning them over.

So that nothing else could be seen.

“This is my last act of mercy.” 

Yes, it was the last act of mercy he would show, not to the daughter of the Marquis of Blanté, but to the individual known as Ariel. 

And it was to ensure that the head of the Mage Tower and Ariel would not become entangled. 

If Ariel were to become involved with the Mage Tower, the family of the Marquis of Blanté could gain a new opportunity. 

The family of the Blanté Marquis must not have the chance to rise again. They had to be completely destroyed. 

So this… was not about any remaining feelings for her. 

Kylance repeated this to himself and let out a heavy breath. 

With a quiet determination, he closed his eyes, as if trying to shake off the thoughts of someone else.

***

Teiran Street in the capital of the Pentium Empire was lined with the most expensive shops, and in the area’s largest hotel, the Mondra Hotel Suite, there had been a small commotion since the morning. 

The cause of the commotion was a man who had silently appeared in the suite’s reception room, which had been empty only moments before. He was none other than Seoden, Chief Archmage of the Mage Tower. 

At that moment, Seoden was desperately searching for his superior, who had disappeared without a trace from the Mage Tower. 

His red eyes, as intense as his hair, darted around the room, searching every corner. But there was no one to be found.

Pausing in the living room, Seoden furrowed his brow and muttered to himself. 

“This should be the place.” 

At that moment, a magically conjured map appeared before his eyes. A golden light continued to shine on the map. And the place where the golden light was shining was right here, where he was standing. 

He had briefly wondered if he was wrong, but it seemed that he had indeed come to the right place. 

With a light flick of his hand, Seoden dismissed the map, closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his mind. 

Then he activated the tracking spell. A red glow spread across the room and soon the lights began to fade one by one. When only a single red light remained, he opened his eyes. 

He followed the remaining red light, which led him back to the bedroom. 

The red glow stopped at an expensive wooden wardrobe standing wide open in the room. 

It was the same wardrobe he had checked earlier. When he had looked before, there had been nothing unusual about it. 

But now it was different. The wardrobe, once empty, was now overflowing with magic. 

With a sigh, Seoden spoke slowly. 

“…I know you’re here. Please, come out. Mage Tower Head.”