A grand chamber was filled with people after a long time.

These figures were well-known pillars of the Empire and you would know them just by hearing their names.

"At a time when I'm so busy that I could die, this damn guy is putting a stop to it."

As always, the door was opened by Minus Mohaim.

He expressed his feelings with his thick, ring-adorned hands, running his golden hair through his fingers.

"By the way, Tower Master, you're also quite bold. You just returned from the Fortress and now you're complaining?"

"Hmm..."

Seeing Bart's reaction, Minus tried to provoke him a bit more, but he felt Bahart's expression was even more serious than expected.

"What's wrong? The great Archmage is whining like a spoiled puppy."

"This naive fool."

Bart spoke a single word and closed his mouth.

Deciding that provoking him further would be pointless, Minus changed his target.

"What about our Chancellor? Do you have anything to say about the current situation?"

"His Majesty will be here soon. Don't be impatient."

Hector Kazaf also closed his eyes, seemingly annoyed.

Feeling frustrated by their reactions, Minus sighed. While he was sighing, a savior appeared.

"Minus, come to think of it, I heard that your family business has been doing quite well lately."

"Yes, it's sailing smoothly. That's why I'm being dragged here against my will."

"Suddenly doing so well, is there a reason for that? Or was it just good luck?"

"Sir, who openly asks about another person's business secrets like that?"

"Haha! Are we ordinary people? Since we have no overlapping interests, go ahead and tell me openly."

"What a fox you are, speaking like a fox while looking like a lion."

"His Majesty is entering!"

Their conversation was immediately interrupted.

Subsequently, the expressionless Emperor, holding a sword in one hand, walked in.

"I greet Your Majesty."

All the Dukes stood up and bowed, but the Emperor ignored their greetings and sat directly on his throne.

"Please be seated."

As if by habit, he half-drew the sword in his hand and put it back as he spoke, and the Dukes finally took their seats.

"I assume you have all heard the news."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Hector replied.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor stopped his habitual movement and stared down at everyone with a proud gaze.

"You must have heard of that audacious scoundrel. How dare a wanted criminal who was boldly declared a fugitive in the Empire brazenly stroll through the Empire? It's inconceivable. It's vexing. What an impudent wretch. How should we deal with him? Is there not a single loyal subject who dares to punish that malicious scoundrel and elevate the Empire's prestige? Am I burdened with everything? That treacherous rascal should be punished for defying the Empire, shouldn't he? Do none of you have any ideas?"

As the Emperor spoke, the Dukes secretly wondered if he had gone mad.

Even though there had been a significant incident once before, to speak like this...

"Isn't that just like a whimpering puppy to whine like that, Your Majesty?"

The response from Hector Kazaf was not what they expected.

But when the Emperor heard that, he stopped his habitual actions and stared down at everyone with an arrogant gaze.

"That insolent fellow, how should we deal with him? Is there no one among you who dares to step forward to claim responsibility and elevate the Empire's prestige? He must be taught a lesson for defying the Empire, shouldn't he?"

{T/n: The emperor issaying the same thing twice}

The Dukes couldn't help but think that the Emperor seemed to be looking for a pretext.

A reason for the Empire not to be disregarded.

No, it's not the Empire he's worried about; it's his own reputation as the Emperor.

Bart started contemplating Maximen's motives. He needed to understand why Maximen had come to the Empire so openly, and for what purpose.

"Is no one going to say anything? Why is everyone silent? Aren't you the pillars of the Empire? How is it that these so-called pillars are afraid of just one Maximen Cronell?"

The Emperor spoke mockingly, but there was no response from anyone.

Minus acted like he hadn't heard, Hector lowered his head, and Sinclaire observed the reactions of the others.

"Your Majesty, you should remember the Terraphin Rebellion," Bart said, bowing his head.

The other dukes felt relieved that Bart had taken the lead.

At his words the emperor glared at him with a languid but intense gaze.

"Lord ALven, how can you act so weak? You hold the title of One of the Ten of the continent, still are you so scared?"

"Yes, I'm scared."

"Haha!"

The emperor let out a startled laugh at Bart, who spoke so bluntly.

Hector, who was watching this, hurried out."Lord Alven, your words and actions are too disrespectful. How can you spit out such harssh words to His Majesty without distinction?"

"Then will you stop Maximen Cronell? If that is the case, I will admit my mistake and accept any punishment."

"That's not what I meant. I just don't agree with Lord Alven's disrespectful words and actions"

{T/n: Fuckin booty licker}

"Your Majesty"

Bart ignored Hector's words and spoke to the emperor.

It was natural for Hector's face to turn completely red after being ignored.

"Your Majesty, I hold the title of one of the Ten of the Continent, an extraordinary designation. However, I cannot guarantee that even if we gather all the power of the Rodren Magic Towerr and the Alven family, we can capture Maximen Cronell. I'm confident that I won't fail, but, like during the Terraphin Rebellion, it will result in numerous casualties. That person, who was once like that, has now become an Aura Master."

"Even if we gather the strength of the other dukes and the Aura Masters scattered throughout the country, we still may not be able to capture Maximen Cronell. I believe it would ultimately lead to more harm than good," Bart concluded.

"Would it be possible if you combined your power with the other dukes?" the Emperor asked.

"Our opponent is someone who defeated an Aura Master before becoming one himself. During the Terraphin Rebellion, there were three Aura Masters and one Warlock, along with thousands of knights and soldiers. The result was one Aura Master missing and hundreds dead. Now, the person has reappeared as an Aura Master."

"We have Cloche, Alven, and other Aura Masters and Warlocks scattered throughout the country. Plus, we have the support of the House of Javiers."

"Even if all of us gather together, I cannot guarantee success," Bart replied. "However, we have another plan in mind. We will first ask Maximen Cronell why he came to the Empire."

Bart's answer received the agreement of Hector and Sinclaire, and the Emperor sneered.

"Cloche, do you share the same opinion?"

"I am always prepared to fight," Sinclaire replied with a fierce smile.

The Emperor nodded in response to Sinclaire's words.

"Cloche is always ready. However, if the others are afraid and trembling, I cannot force them. For now, I understand. We will start by asking Maximen the reason for his bold entrance into the Empire."

The Emperor's sarcastic tone made Minus's expression darken, but the meeting concluded nonetheless.

As the Emperor left the chamber, Minus finally let out his suppressed emotions.

"It seems that His Majesty is quite angry. From the way he complained about everyone being afraid and backing down..."

"Minus, be careful with your words."

"Kazaf, don't act so arrogant in front of us, when you're just as scared as we are. Why are you treating me like this while Cloche is acting so confident?"

"In recent times, you've become quite cocky because things are going well for you. Let's see if things go your way. I have work to do, so I'll be leaving."

Hector left the room after saying that.

Following him, the remaining attendees began to prepare to leave as well.

"Bart."

"What?"

"I heard that Maximen came here to meet with Adrias Cromwell. Is that true?"

"What?"

Minus was startled by Sinclaire's words.

However, Bart stood up without saying a word and left his seat, not providing an answer.

"Bart."

When Sinclaire pressed again, Bart finally raised his head.

"I don't know either. My feelings are quite complicated right now. If I find out more on my own, I'll send word."

"Understood."

With Bart also leaving, Minus urgently asked a question.

"Does that mean Maximen came to find Adrias?"

"I don't know. I didn't even think that Maximen would come here to meet Adrias."

Adrias Cromwell.

Based on the information he had received, the Mohaim Duchy was rapidly expanding and gaining power, and Adrias was at the center of it all. Initially, Minus had been skeptical of Adrias' information, but now he was deeply invested in finding a way to align himself with him.

'I've been so busy with family affairs recently that I haven't had a chance to confirm Adrias' situation. I need to find out about Adrias' current activities as soon as possible.'

'If Maximen really came to find Adrias...'

What if he came with bad intentions? Minus' expression darkened at the thought.

'I need to protect him at all costs.'

.

.

.

.

'Ice Clutch.'

A cluster of ice materialized in mid-air and burst apart.

Seeing this, Berial applauded. "Excellent. You've grown a lot during your break."

After returning from Portrian, he had come to see me on the first day, and it seemed that I had met his criteria, as he wore a satisfied expression.

"By the way, Adrias, have you ever been to Portrian?"

"No."

"Then you probably haven't been invited to the Nivas Festival either."That was a given. To be invited to the Nivas Festival, you had to be at least a Warlock. Even if the number of Warlocks wasn't large, they were still present throughout the continent. While each Warlock's individual abilities varied, the fact remained that they were Warlocks.

"That's correct."

"At the Nivas Festival, invited mages can bring their assistants. I didn't have any assistants to speak of until now, but I thought of you a bit late."

"Are you suggesting that I should go with you?"

"People like us Warlocks are just going for fun, but it can be helpful for novice mages like you."

I thought I had grown quite a bit, but in Berial's eyes, I was still a novice.

But then again, being a Warlock at such a young age must have set the bar quite high.

I suddenly remembered that Dianne could also choose to participate in the Nivas Festival by following Bart. It's a side episode that depends on the player's choice, but as Berial said, there's a lot to gain and learn, so it's not a bad episode.

"Also, there's something else I've been curious about."

"Go ahead."

"While I was away, it seems like some interesting events unfolded."

"The Mulfery Dormitory incident?"

"That's one of them... But I'm referring to Charon Diflen."

Charon had been officially recognized as a hero who sacrificed himself to protect the academy. The students mourned his death without knowing the full story, but the academy authorities probably concealed the fact that Charon was a Dark Mage.

'But they likely hid his true identity to prevent a backlash. Not a bad move.'

Being hidden meant not being pursued and that suited me just fine. If that was the case, at least I wouldn't be caught.

However, when Charon's name came up from Berial's mouth, I suddenly began to feel uneasy. I had no idea what Berial was thinking, and that made me nervous.

"I've heard that you were quite close to Charon."

"I ran errands for him occasionally. Back then, I didn't have much money."

"I've heard that your interactions dwindled around the time Adrias started making money from his patents."

When Berial mentioned my past interactions with Charon, I got a strange chill down my spine. He seemed to know more about me than I expected.

"Still, it's sad. He was a person I was quite close to, and his death was truly regrettable. Although our contact waned recently, I appreciate the help he gave me."

I replied calmly, but Berial's probing questions were making me uncomfortable. Did he suspect something?

Seeing that I was on edge, Berial suddenly turned his head.

"We have a guest."

As he said that, the space around us twisted, and someone appeared in an instant.

"Why did you come here, Tower Master? I heard you went to the palace."

"I have some matters to discuss with Adrias."

Bart Alven urgently pointed towards me.

What's going on? This unexpected appearance and Bart's anxious demeanor were intriguing.

Berial seemed equally curious and gave a subtle nod of approval.

"I had some more things to discuss, but it's not urgent, so I'll let it wait."

"Thank you."

Bart immediately gestured for me.

"Adrias."

I walked over to him as he grabbed my shoulder and began to cast a spell.

In an instant, the surroundings shifted just like before, and we arrived at Bart's office, which I had seen previously.

Bart quickly took a seat and motioned for me to do the same.

"Tower Master, what's going on?"

"Adrias."

I looked at him expectantly, feeling a growing sense of unease. What was this about?

"During the vacation, I heard that you went in and out of the academy."

"Yes."

Did he somehow find out about my actions? My mind raced with possibilities as Bart finally spoke.

"Have you been involved in anything related to Maximen Cronell?"

"Maximen Cronell?"

Why was that name suddenly mentioned? But before I could make sense of it...

Ding, ding, ding.

Bart's magical communicator chimed.

With a slightly anxious look, Bart asked for my patience.

"Wait a moment."

"Okay."

He received the call, and...

"Tower Master!"

"What's going on?"

"Tower Master, Maximen Cronell has arrived at the academy!"

"What!"

Maximen... at the academy?

What in the world was happening now?