Chapter 38: The Age of Darkness

—Magic City [Vando]—
“Well then, I shall take my leave and return to Salonia. I will convey your words to the Supreme Council of the Acting Pope, so that the lords can make a decision. I hope you will be treated leniently… Good luck, Lord Volmon Klaest!”
In the residence where Thos lived, a cleric dressed in indigo monk’s robes bid farewell to Thos at the entrance. He had been sent from Salonia to meet with Thos. The Church urgently needed Thos to provide a reasonable explanation for why he had become the commander of the dark magic army during the war and why he was now the head of the New Heliorox Academy.
After all, Thos’s status was very special, and he knew and possessed many of the Church’s core secrets. If he betrayed the Church, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, the Church had kept a close eye on him after the war.
“Phew!” After sending away that troublesome messenger, Thos let out a long sigh. Shaking his head, he said irritably, “Really, in the early morning, not even able to enjoy a breakfast in peace…”
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle laugh came from the long table in the living room. Thos turned around and saw Dia preparing breakfast. She poured two cups of hot tea and said softly, “You really are too harsh. At least invite them in for a while… They came all the way from Salonia. It’s very rude!”
Thos walked over to the long table, picked up a piece of bread, and took a bite. Chewing, he mumbled, “That guy is part of the Supreme Council. I just get annoyed seeing him. He’s not my former subordinate… Besides, do you think he came here otherwise? It’s because they’re afraid I’ll turn against the Church!”
“You! Can’t you sit down?” Dia sighed helplessly at Thos and handed him one of the cups of hot tea, saying gently, “It’s no wonder. You used to be a cardinal of the Church, but now you’re the head of the Heliorox Academy. It’s understandable why the Church is suspicious… It’s also a form of concern and understanding!”
“Concern? Understanding?” Thos smiled oddly and sat down irritably. “Do you think those cardinals of the Church are that kind? They’re all stubborn old men! Would they care about me? What they care about is the [Sacred Mark] and the [Keys] I possess!”
“Keys?” Dia was stunned and asked curiously, “I’ve heard of the Sacred Mark. What are the Keys?”

“Didn’t you notice?” Thos leaned his head toward Dia and pointed at his left eye, saying, “See that thing that looks like stardust?”
“Mm!”
“That’s the key—the [Star Key Matrix]. With it, we can activate the ancient ruins floating thousands of yards above Salonia: [Sky City: Gaseorok]. It’s said to be where the gods once lived, hence the name Gaseorok, meaning ‘the gods are everywhere.’ To put it bluntly, it was a place where that guy used to gaze down on everything on the ground… How arrogant, right?”
“Giggle,” Dia couldn’t help but laugh lightly. Then, tilting her head slightly, she looked at Thos’s silver-eyed left eye and said in mild surprise, “I really can’t believe it just by hearing you describe it. There’s something floating that high… No wonder it’s called Sky City. By the way, Vandel also floats in the air…”
“Of course. They were both built and left behind by the prehistoric mechanical civilization [Mekand]. They were strategic fortresses used by the Mekand in wars. The Thunder Tower Vandel is the same—only Vandel is more of an offensive weapon, while Gaseorok is a defensive strategic fortress…”
“Ancient weapons? After all this time, can they still be used?” Dia asked curiously.
“Of course not,” Thos shrugged mockingly. “Otherwise, that old man wouldn’t have handed it over to me! It’s hard to even tell what era they belong to. Take Vandel for example—it’s already lucky if its anti-gravity device still works. As for the weapons inside, forget about it; they’re long since ruined. But the Church has maintained it for hundreds of years, so as a protector of Salonia, it still functions. It just can’t move because its power system is damaged, so it remains floating above Salonia… Vandel is similar. Otherwise, the past few hundred years of the Empire and the Church wouldn’t have been so peaceful…” As he spoke, he looked up at Dia, who nodded in realization, and said with a smile, “Want to see the Star Key Matrix? It’s beautiful!”
With a helpless look at Thos, Dia shook her head and said softly, “Such an important thing should be properly kept!”
“Hah,” Thos smiled faintly and sighed. “If it were Avi, surely…” At that moment, he suddenly realized what he said and stammered, “I’m sorry…”

Seeming to see Thors apologetic gaze, Dia shook her head slightly and murmured, “It’s not your fault, Thors. And… I think Lavia must be feeling even worse than I am…”
“Huh…” Thors gave a dry laugh before turning to finish the food in his hand, not very willing to continue the topic.
The living room fell silent.
After a long while, perhaps because Dia didn’t want the cozy breakfast time to become so dull, she spoke first.
“By the way, how’s things at the academy, Thors?”
“Huh?” Thors was momentarily stunned, glanced at Dia, then understood and smiled. “It’s okay. We’ve already recruited over three hundred students. After all, Riox is still quite famous!”
“That’s great…”
“Is that so?” Thors wore a strange expression and said with a half-smile, “Now, most of the inhabitants of Vando are those war-mage black magicians and necromancers. In all, there are about seven hundred people in Riox—three hundred students and nearly four hundred professors. Can you imagine?”
“Giggle, things will get better eventually!”
“Hard to say. The impact caused by Agus was too severe. It’s difficult to restore Riox Academy to its former state…”
“Don’t be modest,” Dia said playfully, winking. “You, who defeated Agus, are now quite famous too! Maybe those three hundred students came because of you!”
But contrary to Dia’s expectations, Thors’ smile vanished upon hearing this. He sighed slightly and murmured, “Defeating Agus… It’s not so much that I defeated him as much as he chose his own path to destruction…”
“Huh?”
Seeing that Dia didn’t seem to understand, Thors shook his head and said, “That guy… he had already planned to end his own life during that war. In the end, he didn’t lose to me—he lost to himself, to Mammon… Even those powerful apostles are just pitiful wretches who rely on others!”
“Thors…” Looking at Thors’ downcast expression, Dia’s eyes showed concern as she forced a smile. “But the war is over, which is a good thing. That Mammon you mentioned won’t be able to threaten this world anymore…”

“You’re wrong!” Shaking his head, Thos wore a solemn expression as he said in a deep voice, “Although Argus is dead, Mammon’s presence still remains in this world, right inside the Sasan Empire. That’s why I advised Allen and Ivy not to clash with the Flores family…”
“You mean…”
“After that battle, I’ve had a suspicion—why did Argus’s power weaken so rapidly at the last moment? But that guy is dead, and I couldn’t ask him in person. However, when I went to Sasan that day, I sensed a presence very similar to Argus’s—Mammon’s presence! Argus was abandoned by Mammon at the last moment!”
“You’re saying…”
“Ah, it’s not over yet. Mammon’s apostles are still alive in this world, just under a different master,” Thos said, pausing briefly with an even more somber expression before frowning and adding, “Worse still, besides Mammon’s apostles, I sensed the presence of another apostle! There are two apostles in the Sasan Empire right now!”
“Two apostles?” Dia widened her eyes in shock, covering her mouth in astonishment. “Isn’t that very dangerous? Will war break out again?”
“Not necessarily,” Thos said with a sigh after taking a sip from his teacup. “Apostles aren’t bloodthirsty. The main reason Argus started the war was his hatred for this country, not Mammon. Of course, Mammon also wants powerful soul forces to come to this world… What concerns me more are the identities of those two apostles and that newly awakened ancient will! Although apostles have some sense of connection among themselves, if an apostle deliberately hides their presence, others can’t sense it…”
“Does that mean only Thos has revealed himself?” Dia asked worriedly.
“Ah,” Thos nodded, then gave a slightly relieved smile as he reassured her, “Apart from you, Allen, Ivy… uh, and a few others like Scott, only Argus knew that the ancient will behind me was Sloth… Well, Mammon is aware of it too; he might tell his apostles… I doubt they’d dare provoke me too much. The hostility between apostles could even escalate into conflict between ancient wills. Mammon isn’t that irrational as to risk becoming enemies with Sloth just to kill me! The reason Argus spared me back then, aside from his own reasons, was probably because of Mammon’s wishes as well!”

“Phew, that’s good…” Dia let out a long sigh, then murmured, “I really hope these peaceful days can continue forever…”
“I hope so!” Thos smiled slightly, wiped his mouth with the napkin on the table, and said softly, “I’m full. Time to go! There’s still a ton of documents waiting for me to sign!”
“Giggle, that must be tough…” Saying this, Dia stood up and escorted Thos to the door, saying gently, “Then you need to work hard today too!”
“Mm!” Thos nodded, then seemed to remember something and asked hesitantly, “What about you? Don’t you ask anyone?”
He had good reasons for asking this. After all, when Dia was at the academy, she was two years younger than Thos. Due to her personality, she wasn’t good at socializing, so she had few friends. Her circle consisted only of Thos, Allen, Scott, and Lavia. Worse still, because of Thos, her relationship with Lavia had worsened significantly. As Lavia’s closest friends, Lisa and Leryla also gradually distanced themselves from Dia. Allen and Scott became even further apart. So, in Vando, there were very few people Dia could talk to—almost none, in fact.
“It’s okay,” seemingly understanding Thos’s feelings, Dia shook her head and said softly, “Vando is gradually returning to its former status as a magical city. A few days ago, when I went out, I noticed many new magic-related shops opening in the city. I want to take this opportunity to review the magic I learned before—I can’t let myself fall too far behind you all…” She winked playfully and added, “Maybe it would be good to go back to the Rexox Academy to study again!”
“Hah!” Thos shook his head helplessly and then said softly, “Well… I’m going then!”
Seemingly understanding something, Dia’s face turned slightly shy. She bit her lip, glanced at Thos secretly, gently wrapped her arms around his waist, closed her eyes, stood on tiptoes, and gave him a long kiss…
One minute later…
“Well, I’m leaving first…”
“Mm…”
As Thos left the room under Dia’s gaze, he was about to head back to Rexox when he suddenly seemed to notice something. His eyes became alert as he scanned the streets outside carefully. After more than a minute, he showed a puzzled expression.
“Strange…”
“What’s wrong?” Dia asked curiously, noticing Thos’s unusual behavior.

“No, it’s nothing. I’ll be going now. Don’t worry, I’ll be back early!”
“Mm!”
Only after watching Thos walk far down the street did Dia let out a barely audible sigh. Then, she patted her own cheek to encourage herself, saying, “You need to work hard, Dia… Get the intermediate magic certificate first, and then challenge the Royal Magicians. You can’t let Thos pull you too far ahead…”
As soon as she finished speaking, a light laugh suddenly came from somewhere nearby.
“What lofty ‘aspirations,’ Dia!”
“Huh?” Dia instinctively looked in the direction of the sound and was surprised to see a girl with long black hair that reached her waist, wearing a black-and-white ruffled robe, leaning against the wooden fence in the yard, smiling at her.
Facing the girl’s somewhat teasing gaze, Dia’s eyes showed disbelief, which quickly turned into surprise. She said, “Lilith?!”
It turned out that the girl with long black hair was Dia’s former roommate and best friend, the very Lilith that Thos and Allen had seen before.
“How come you’re here?” Dia ran over happily, delightedly taking her friend’s hands and asking repeatedly, “Weren’t you going back to your hometown?”
“Don’t you think I’d come back to Vando?” Lilith giggled, taking Dia’s hand and teasingly saying, “Don’t change the subject. I saw everything just now! — What a heartwarming scene!”
“Oh!” Dia understood exactly what Lilith meant. Her face turned slightly shy as she said playfully, “Teasing me as soon as we meet? That’s too much! — Shall we go inside and talk?”
“Sure, I was just curious to see what your cozy little home looks like!”
“Oh, Lilith!”
“Alright, alright…”
Amidst laughter, the two girls went inside.
After entering, Dia poured a cup of hot tea for Lilith. Curiously, she asked, “Hurry up and tell me, how did you end up in Vando? When did you return? — It’s too bad you never came to see me…”
“Well, here I am now!” Lilith, who was examining the furnishings in the room, giggled. She took the tea cup from Dia and said in a teasing tone, “It’s not entirely my fault. I thought you were in Jerbat. Who knew you… Hey, are you really planning to follow that brat?”
Dia immediately felt her cheeks heat up. She said shyly, “Following… Don’t say it in such… such a nasty way. I just…”

“Yes, yes, you just fell for that brat and want to be with him, right?” Lilith winked, then glanced at Dia’s shy expression and giggled. “Alright, alright, no more joking. I’m living in Sason now. I just heard today that that brat lives here, so I came to take a look. I didn’t expect to find you here… You can come to Sason to see me when you have time; it’s only a half-day journey.”
“Mm!” Dia nodded. To be honest, she felt very bored staying alone after Thos left, but after agreeing, she felt a bit strange and asked, “You live in Sason now?”
“Yes,” Lilith chuckled lightly, then deliberately sighed and said plaintively, “I’m not as lucky as you. I don’t have a man stronger than a grand mage by my side… I’m so envious!”
“Oh!” Dia protested playfully, then suddenly noticed the ring on Lilith’s left hand and exclaimed in surprise, “Are you married?”
Surprisingly, Lilith’s expression darkened for a moment, but in an instant, her face lit up again as she said absentmindedly, “Yes, married to a worthless guy named Vincent Flores!”
“Huh?” Dia was stunned and murmured, “Isn’t he…”
“Don’t mention him. Just thinking about that guy irritates me!” Lilith said disdainfully, then seemed to notice something, gave Dia an apologetic look, and said softly with a hint of concern, “Forget about me. How have you been lately? I heard that brat seems to have another woman outside… I think her name is Ravia Vormisley… I remember her—she’s that proud girl from the academy!”
“What!” Dia retorted, explaining the situation to Lilith.
“I see,” Lilith said after Dia’s explanation. She shook her head speechlessly and said with a smirk, “It seems you’ve been having a hard time too!”
Shaking her head and putting away the tableware, Dia defended herself, “Not at all. Thos is very kind to me…”
“Very kind?” Lilith snorted, glanced at the furnishings in the room, then suddenly focused on a cross on a cabinet and said sarcastically, “I hope that’s not just what you say to comfort yourself. Men are all the same… No matter how nicely they speak, they either crave a woman’s beauty or…” With curiosity, she picked up the cross.

The moment Lilith picked up the cross, it suddenly emitted a intense holy light. Vaguely, it could be seen that a small patch of her pale right hand had been burned by the power of the light, revealing bright red flesh…
“Tch!” Her expression changed instantly, and thick strands of darkness seeped from her hand, strangely suppressing the light of the cross.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Dia, who was cleaning the dishes, turned around in confusion.
“Nothing, just curious…” Saying this, Lilith quickly put the cross back in its place and hid her injured hand behind her back. Miraculously, the injured area recovered rapidly, returning to its original state within seconds, as if it had never been hurt at all.
“Oh, you’re referring to this,” Dia said, seemingly unaware of Lilith’s unnatural expression. While continuing to clean the dishes, she chuckled lightly. “There are many such pendants in the house. Thos said that although Argus is dead, the empire is still shrouded in dark forces, especially in the areas of Sassen and Vando. So he told me to carry one when I go out so I won’t be affected. I always thought it wasn’t necessary…”
Leaning against the wall and looking at Dia with a caring gaze, Lilith said in a tone that was both serious and casual, “He’s right. You should carry one. The dark forces have gradually infiltrated this world. Unless one has great power, living here will more or less affect one, mentally…”
“So I belong to the very weak category? That’s too unfair!” Dia pouted in dissatisfaction. “Lilith isn’t much stronger than me either…”
A faint smile appeared on Lilith’s lips. She stepped closer to Dia, stretched out her pale fingers, and gently scratched Dia’s smooth face, giggling, “That was back then!”
“Huh?” Dia stared at Lilith in surprise, feeling a strange sense that this once closest friend seemed different in some way…
Meanwhile, Thos had returned to the dean’s office at Heliorox Academy. As he had said, he still had a pile of documents to sign that day.
But to his surprise, it seemed someone was already waiting for him in the office…
“Thos!” As Thos entered the office, Gianna, who had been waiting on the sofa, quickly stood up. With a hint of awkwardness, she greeted him with a lowered voice, “They said I could come in, so…”

“Oh,” Sos was stunned as he watched Gianna’s coy expression. He closed the door and, feeling awkward and at a loss, said, “Um… what brings you to see me?”
“What…?” Gianna murmured softly, her eyes filled with deep disappointment. “Can’t I come to see you if there’s nothing?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Sos said awkwardly, waving his hand. “I just thought… since that day, you haven’t shown up, so I…”
“I wanted to come, but…” Gianna bit her lip and glanced up at Sos secretly, like a little girl who had done something wrong. She whispered, “I didn’t expect such a misunderstanding to happen. I… I was afraid you’d misunderstand me, so I didn’t dare…” Then, as if mustering courage, she raised her head and looked at him pleadingly, saying softly, “Trust me, Sos. It’s not what you think. I was just… drunk at that time. Yes, drunk!”
“Drunk?” Sos’s expression became very strange. But since Gianna said so, he naturally couldn’t say anything more. Shrugging, he tried to sound casual, “Hmm, since you say it’s a misunderstanding, there’s no need to go into details anymore…”
“Then…” Gianna interrupted him hastily, looking at him timidly with great anticipation. “Will you still admit that I’m your sister?”
Recalling all the times Gianna had taken care of him, Sos felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He nodded and said, “Ah, of course!”
“Really?” Gianna asked in a distrustful tone, looking at him. “Can I…?”
Seeming to understand her thoughts, Sos shook his head and gently called out, “Sister…”
“Mm! Mm-hmm!” Hearing that title, Gianna seemed to perk up instantly, as if she had let out a long sigh of relief. But then she stepped forward, stretched out a finger, and said hopefully, “Can you call me that again?”
“…” Actually, that single word “sister” already made Sos feel extremely awkward. But seeing Gianna’s expectant gaze, he couldn’t bear to refuse, so he reluctantly called her that again.
But…
“Mm-hmm… Um, just once more? Just one time? The last time…” After repeating it two or three times, Sos couldn’t take it anymore and said irritably, “Don’t go too far, Nina!”

Hearing that familiar “Nina,” Jiana froze. Soon after, tears streamed endlessly from her bright eyes, catching Thos off guard. He instinctively held her arm and said helplessly, “No, don’t do this. Just call me by my name…”
“No, it’s not that,” Jiana wiped the tears from her face and looked up at Thos, murmuring, “I’m happy, very happy. In all these years, I’ve never been this happy as I am today…” As she spoke, she raised her toes slightly and gently stroked Thos’s hair in a playful manner, saying tenderly, “You’ve grown up, Thos, my dearest brother. I’m really glad to see that you’re safe and well…”
“Ah!” Thos replied awkwardly, clearly unaccustomed to this.
“Don’t you have anything to say?” Jiana asked lightly, as if her worries had vanished. “Like, I miss you so much, sister. I really, really miss you…” As she spoke, she seemed to suddenly realize something, lowered her head as if she’d done something wrong, and said dryly, “Oh… I’m sorry, Thos. I’m… just used to it…”
Thos naturally understood what she meant, as the latter part of what Jiana had said clearly carried a teasing tone, which was certainly not the kind of tone one would use toward one’s own brother.
Ever since meeting Jiana that day, Thos had regained all his memories. Now, he couldn’t help but curse that old bastard Veston silently—what on earth had he taught Nina!
But in this regard, he was clearly wrong to blame Archmage Veston…
“Thos?” Seeing that her brother remained silent for a long time, Jiana seemed anxious and hurriedly said, “I… I’ll try to change. No, I definitely will change. So… so…”
Seizing Jiana’s anxious gaze, Thos shook his head slightly and said softly, “I know better than anyone what kind of person you are…”

Jiana was stunned for a moment before a relieved expression appeared on her face. She gently wrapped her arms around Thors’s waist and rested her head on his chest, saying jokingly, “I should be called ‘sister’—that’s so unfair! But I’m really happy to hear that!” As she spoke, she looked up and saw Thors’s embarrassed expression, so she habitually giggled, “Hehe, you’re shy! Afraid your wife will get jealous? That must be tough…” As soon as the words left her mouth, realizing her tone was off, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands and lowered her head, not daring to meet Thors’s gaze.

“…” Thors shook his head speechlessly, walked over to the window, and opened it. Then he turned to Jiana and said, “Avery and I aren’t what you think…” He then told his sister everything about it in detail.

“Oh…” Jiana nodded as if she had suddenly understood, feeling an inexplicable joy. She joked with a smile, “So, does that mean my brother is still single?”

“Uh, not exactly…” Thors tilted his head and told Jiana about his relationship with Dia.

“Huh?” Jiana seemed stunned, the inexplicable joy in her heart disappearing. She sighed at Thors and said, “That’s great… My brother already has someone he likes…”

Seeing Jiana’s strange expression, Thors asked in surprise, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… nothing at all…” Jiana, lost in thought, finally came back to her senses. She shook her head repeatedly, then thought for a moment before saying, “Well… um, to keep an eye on you, I’m planning to move to Vando!”

“Huh? Keep an eye on me?”

“Yes,” Jiana nodded matter-of-factly. “You’re now the head of the Riox Academy—that’s amazing. But since you were so naughty when you were little, to keep an eye on you, I’m planning to move near you…”

“…” Thors’s expression became extremely strange. With Ravia coming by almost every day to ‘keep an eye on’ him these days, would he even have a chance to breathe?

“Is that not okay?” Jiana asked, slightly disappointed.

Thors understood her feelings. After all, she had always been the one who cared most about him. It was understandable that she wanted to see her brother constantly after being apart for so many years. But he had his own little troubles…

“It’s not that I can’t…”

“Then it’s decided!” Jiana giggled, habitually throwing him a flirtatious glance, before once again lowering her head as if she had done something wrong.

Weakly covering his forehead, Thos had a vague sense of “bad omens” regarding his future life. Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from the corridor, and soon the office door was pushed open without knocking… There was no one else but Allen who could do such a thing; even Ravia would knock before entering. Looking at the breathless boy leaning against the door, Thos rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, “Hey, Allen…” But Allen’s expression was very serious. He took a few deep breaths and said urgently in a heavy tone, “You’re already here? That’s great. I just received a message from Sister Aibel—something happened to Vandel!” “Van… Vandel?” Thos was stunned, his expression turning grave as he frowned and asked, “What happened?” It seemed the situation was extremely urgent; even Allen, known for his caution, didn’t bother to greet Jiana. He said hurriedly, “About half a month ago, a man claiming to be Belial invaded Vandel and almost destroyed it single-handedly, taking away the [Secrets of Astrology] written by the former prophet, famous astrologer, and sage Adrian Klingh…” “The ancient ruin, the Tower of Thunder, Vandel?” Jiana exclaimed in surprise, seemingly recalling something. “Weren’t Vandel’s defenses said to be the strongest in the empire?” Allen shook his head and said solemnly, “Sister Aibel said the enemy was too strong—those defenses were completely useless. To them, Vandel’s shields were like thin paper…” “So now…” Seeming to notice Jiana’s expression, Allen let out a sigh and forced a faint smile. “The casualties aren’t severe—just a psychological shock. But many of the tower’s systems have been damaged… Sister Aibel wants to move Vandel to Vandor to prevent this from happening again. After all, the magicians from Sgderel have moved here now, so she wants you to prepare in advance…” “I understand!” Thos nodded slowly, casting a complex look out the window as he murmured, “Belial…” Sure enough, his intuition had proven correct… —Back half a month ago, Vandel— Ever since the allied forces left Sgderel to launch a major counterattack on Sassen, Aibel had been unable to calm her mind. As a genius astrologer, she had a vague sense of bad omens.

At first, she thought the Allied Forces would fail in their battle against Agus, but the good news that came later made her breathe a sigh of relief. Yet, despite this relief, her doubts did not disappear; instead, they grew stronger. During those days, she kept an almost constant watch on Vandal and SgSguder, but noticed nothing unusual until one day she suddenly heard a mage from the tower reporting that a man named Belial had broken into the tower, using space teleportation magic… That was impossible! But seeing the mage’s serious expression, she had no choice but to believe it. Using space teleportation magic to enter Vandal directly was beyond belief for Eibel. The three pyramids that served as Vandal’s defensive forces—representing wind, ice, and lightning—could block any space teleportation magic aimed at the tower. This meant no one could invade from the outside using space teleportation. Even if Vandal’s elders could use teleportation magic to leave, they could only return to the tower through the “bubble” method. Who could this person be? When Eibel rushed to the main hall, she found it already crowded. The mages still in Vandal held their wands and cautiously surrounded the mysterious mage standing in the hall along with his two companions… In her haste, Eibel noticed that one of Vandal’s elders, the renowned alchemist Professor Kilbard, stared at the stranger in astonishment for a long time before suddenly exclaiming in shock, “Kain, that’s a pawn puppet, King Kain, right?” Eibel instinctively glanced at the figure beside the mysterious mage, the one covered in black, luxurious, and thick armor. “A king puppet? Weren’t you the one who destroyed it?” Professor Welman asked in surprise. “Yes, I did destroy it. So this is impossible… Impossible!” Kilbard kept shaking his head, staring blankly at the puppet in black armor and murmuring, “Apart from the different color of the armor, everything else is exactly the same. This can’t be, it absolutely can’t!” “Could it be a puppet created by another alchemy?” one of the mages whispered.

“No,” shook his head Bernie Gives, the senior elder of Vandel, who usually appeared extremely dazed. He gazed solemnly at the mysterious magician before him, frowning and saying, “The blueprints for creating puppets made by the Mekand people have always been kept within Vandel and could not possibly have leaked. Although it’s possible they were made by other alchemists, since Kilbad, an alchemist himself, says so, he must have his confidence…” As he spoke, he tapped his walking stick heavily and said in a deep voice, “Who exactly are you? And what is your purpose in intruding into Vandel?”
Just as everyone held their breath, the mysterious magician lifted his cloak, revealing silver-gray hair. With a faint smile, he stretched out his right hand, clenched it slightly, and said in a deep voice, “Hand over the [Secrets of Astrology] written by the former prophet, renowned astrologer, and sage Adrian Klinch! Otherwise, I will reduce Vandel to ruins!”
Almost the moment he lifted his cloak, Abel, along with the other elders, stared at him in disbelief.
“Sos… Sos?!“