Only after hearing Rachel’s words did Ryan tense up again.

Rachel was right. Mind manipulation magic belonged to the highest level of difficulty. Using such magic with inadequate skill could potentially collapse the recipient’s mind completely.

Yet the three attackers hadn’t suffered mental collapse—only their memories of what they had done had vanished without a trace.

This couldn’t be dismissed as mere coincidence. If there had been only one victim, they might have attributed it to luck, but that wasn’t possible here. Three people had been subjected to memory erasure magic.

This meant someone with extremely delicate magical abilities might be hiding somewhere, targeting Ryan.

“This has become more serious than I thought.”

“Is there anything more serious than discovering the Magic Tower Master was the culprit?”

Rachel asked genuinely puzzled. She was actually relieved that the Tower Master wasn’t the perpetrator. If the representative of the Magic Tower had been targeting the imperial family, specifically the Crown Prince, the aftermath would have been incredibly complicated and difficult.

Above all, the mages of the Tower wouldn’t have simply handed Randolph over to the Carwen imperial family. The Magic Tower Master was the spiritual pillar of all mages and embodied their pride. Having the Tower Master as an enemy meant opposing all mages of the Tower.

Ryan wasn’t unaware of this, so he let out a low, hollow laugh before speaking.

“True, Randolph being the culprit would be more serious on the surface. We might have had to fight the entire Magic Tower as an organization. But this situation has its own complications. Someone capable of high-level mental attack magic who leaves almost no trace exists somewhere.”

“That’s true,” Rachel conceded briefly. However, she didn’t completely agree with his assessment.

Despite it being high-level magic, Rachel didn’t believe there was someone whose magical abilities surpassed her own. If such a person existed, they would have already made themselves known.

But no one had emerged publicly. The only person who had recently distinguished herself was Rachel herself. At most, one might include Edward, who had been known as a magical prodigy since childhood.

[Rachel, you don’t see this as serious because you can turn back time. From others’ perspective, this is quite a threatening existence.]

Creon added an explanation when Rachel seemed not to understand. Only then did she nod in comprehension.

In a one-on-one situation, Rachel had a significant advantage. She was already capable of memorizing five magic spells and, above all, was Creon’s contractor who could regress time if things went wrong. That’s why she was relieved they wouldn’t have to face the entire Magic Tower.

But for Ryan, an ordinary person, it was a different matter. The pressure of having to fight an unknown entity whose abilities couldn’t even be gauged weighed heavily on him.

“Anyway, when the dance ends, I’ll ask you again.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The music ended shortly after. The two exchanged light bows and left the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd.

“Rachel!” Edward called her in a welcoming voice after she finished dancing with Ryan.

Rachel reflexively looked up to see Edward. “I came as quickly as I could, but I guess I’m a bit late.”

“Not at all. We’ve just started.”

“That’s good then.”

After briefly chatting with Rachel, Edward turned to Ryan and belatedly gave him a formal greeting. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Edward Hestein.”

“It’s been a while, Young Lord Hestein,” Ryan replied in a somewhat stiff voice.

Rachel, not noticing this, turned to Edward. “Didn’t Viola come?”

“No, I came alone today.”

“Viola is a spirit mage, but she’s affiliated with the Magic Tower, so she would have qualified to attend.”

When Rachel expressed her disappointment, Edward smiled bitterly. “I actually suggested we come together, but she refused, saying how could a spirit mage, not a regular mage, intrude on a celebration for mages.”

“That’s too bad. She would have enjoyed it.”

“I know. By the way, you look even more beautiful than usual today.”

Rachel smiled slightly at Edward’s sudden comment.

“You two seem very close,” Ryan interjected, observing them.

“My sister Viola and Rachel are close friends. Because of that, I’ve also become close to Rachel.”

“I’ve heard about that from Rachel. She said you’re like a real brother to her.”

At the words ‘real brother,’ Edward glanced briefly at Rachel. She showed no particular reaction to the comment. Edward bit his teeth discreetly and smiled at Ryan, judging that pursuing the topic further would be pointless.

Instead, Edward nodded once to Ryan and then turned to Rachel. “Rachel, since we’ve met like this, would you like to dance with me?”

Edward proposed to Rachel. Having just returned from dancing with Ryan, Rachel looked up into his warm teal eyes, seeming to consider for a moment. Then she nodded. “Sure.”

Edward smiled deeply and extended his hand to Rachel. As she took it, he led her to the dance floor. They began to dance.

Though it was similar music and the same dance, Rachel’s demeanor was noticeably different when dancing with Edward compared to when she had danced with Ryan.

People gathered around Ryan, who was now alone. However, his attention was entirely focused on Rachel and Edward. As he glanced repeatedly at the dancing couple, Ryan recalled what Rachel had said earlier when she had excluded Edward from the list of suspects.

Rachel had seemed to know everything about Edward, without realizing how much jealousy this would provoke in Ryan.

Every time Rachel swayed to Edward’s lead, Ryan’s brow twitched. He couldn’t believe how anxious he felt right now. He had grown up as the Crown Prince of the empire, wanting for nothing.

Yet here he was, unable to concentrate on his work because he was wary of the men around Rachel.

But it couldn’t be helped. There were other men besides himself who orbited around Rachel—Tervan and Edward. Men who had spent more time with her than Ryan had, who knew her better, and who had built her trust over a long period.

It was only natural for Ryan, who had entered the picture much later, to feel anxious. Fortunately, Rachel soon finished dancing with Edward and returned to Ryan’s side.

“Where did Young Lord Hestein go?” Ryan asked, surprised to see Rachel return alone.

“He said he had something to discuss with the Tower Master.”

“Ah.” Only then did Ryan belatedly spot Edward talking with Randolph. He felt a small sense of relief inside and turned to Rachel.

“Then shall we get back to work?”

Ryan carefully asked Rachel.

“Of course. That’s what this banquet is for,” Rachel answered readily, nodding her head.

It was quite positive that they didn’t have to seek people out. The mages approached Rachel and Ryan on their own, interested. They had ulterior motives of making a good impression on Ryan, the Crown Prince, but more than that, Rachel’s presence stimulated their curiosity.

A mage who had been using unremarkable support magic suddenly possessed skills comparable to a Magic Tower Master candidate—it was natural for fellow mages to be curious.

“Hello, Lady Pluret. I am Beniel Roana.”

“I am Jainy Curson.”

Various people approached Rachel and introduced themselves. Rachel received their greetings with an obligatory smile. Among them, she identified those on the list and began examining their mana properties.

How much time had passed? Rachel, having conversed with everyone at the ball at least once, returned to Ryan’s side looking somewhat tired.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m just a bit tired.”

Even for someone like her, talking continuously with many people was exhausting. Seeing Rachel’s tired appearance, Ryan looked at her with concern.

“How about getting some fresh air?”

“That sounds good.”

Rachel agreed with Ryan’s suggestion.