When Gage returned to Aeren Town, he soon noticed that the army dogs were spying on him.
He went back to the inn to give them the impression that he would stay for the night, but he slipped past them and journeyed outside the town as soon as he found a chance.
He decided to go on foot to the next town and take the train back to Starhorn.
After almost four hours of journeying, he found a safe spot to rest. He hunted a small beast for dinner, then took out a magic item to create a five-meter radius barrier with a camouflage effect. When he was done, he made a fire and roasted his dinner.
Before he used the magic item, Gage already surveyed the area with his magic sense. He was sure the army dogs were unable to follow him. But for some reason, he could not shake off the feeling that someone was spying on him.
Suddenly he felt the ice orb turned warm inside his robes. Of course, it was only his imagination. The more he became aware of the ice orb, the more it grew warmer.
‘Damn that, Silas,’ he thought after remembering how since this morning, all he ever did was run around like an errand boy.
‘When I meet him, I’ll strike his little girly face.’
Just as he ranted in silence, he heard a sudden movement near a tree a few meters away from him.
He immediately reached for his axes and listened intently.
After all, he was inside the magic item’s area of effect. For all he knew, whatever made that sound could not see nor hear him.
A minute later, there had been no other sound apart from the night critters from a distance.
Gage frowned.
He hated the feeling of being spied on. Ever since he received the ice orb, he felt like his life was hanging by a thin thread. He always trusted his instincts, especially when it came to his survival. And now, his instincts were telling him that the ice orb was terrible news.
With a shake of his head, he resumed roasting his dinner while keeping one hand on the hilt of his axe.
No matter what, since he was entrusted to deliver the orb to the Mercenary Hall President, he would do everything in his power to fulfil this job.
====================
A couple of kilometers outside Aeren Town, where the light from the town entrance could not reach, the darkness seemed to converge from a single point.
This point slowly grew in size, and in a few seconds, it shifted into a shape of a tall man in an oversized black robe.
The man was Gael.
Using his magic, he was able to travel a great distance. However, he could only do this once a day because its energy consumption was too enormous. The toll on his body was not that good either. It was one of the reasons why although he was a Magus, he never tried to retain a younger appearance.
The moment Jax mentioned a man making a scene in front of the Regis Estate on his report, Gael already felt something was off. In the report, it mentioned that the man was looking for the Regis ‘Leader’. No one ever called the Regis Patriarch ‘leader’. Even if the man might not be referring to the Patriarch, a Regis member refused to be named a leader. It was just their nature. Of course, the man might have used the term because that was his preference, but Gael thought otherwise. The fact that the man only remained outside the Regis’s gates when he made a scene was already suspicious.
Gael looked at the entrance to the Aeren Town. It was on the report that the man stayed at an inn there.
‘Find him first and see what he is up to,’ he thought and stealthily entered the town.
====================
Two hours after Nolan left, Stella received a message from Malek informing her that Malia had arrived. She immediately had her go up to her quarters.
As soon as Malia arrived, Stella led her to the bed where Kyran lay and explained what happened before losing consciousness.
Malia looked at Kyran with a complicated expression. After all, she failed to diagnose his illness twelve years ago. However, his special circumstances were the cause of that. She could almost predict that today would be no different. However, she was an alchemist and would not neglect anyone who required her help.
She touched Kyran’s wrist and let her magic sense enter his body.
Only five seconds later, she stopped and turned to Stella, who was standing behind her.
“I’m sorry, Milord, but I don’t think I am the right person to check his condition.”
“Why not? His life force has been weakening since earlier. Is something very wrong with him?” Stella asked worriedly.
Malia shook her head, “I can’t be too sure, but just like when I first examined him, I can’t insert my magic sense into him. That’s why I can’t determine his real condition.”
Stella frowned, “You can’t? How about on the surface?”
“I can, but my findings will only be superficial.”
“Is it because of his magic? Is it circulating within his body that’s why external magic cannot enter?” Stella wondered out loud.
After hearing her words, Malia fell silent as she connected this to what happened before Kyran lost consciousness.
A mage relied on the energy around him to sustain his magic usage. If Kyran’s magic was actively circulating inside his body right now, they should have felt the energy around them entering his body, but they didn’t.How was he able to sustain his magic?
The answer to Malia’s question became apparent after observing Kyran’s life force.
“His magic is using his life force as fuel,” she realized.
“What?” Stella exclaimed. “That’s not good, right?”
Malia continued to observe Kyran’s physical state. Apart from his weakening life force, his pale complexion seemed to be improving. Even his breathing was even.
“Not necessarily,” she observed. “Milord, you said you reverted his magic to a state that his body can take. But I think, the moment it returned to him, your magic became ineffective, and his body was left to deal with adjusting to his magic’s sudden upgrade by itself. It means his life force was doing its best to improve his body. But because his life force fuels his magic, it has to work double to meet its consumption. Now his life force could not keep up. But to lift the burden on his life force, his body’s defence mechanism triggered and went to a standstill. That’s why he is unconscious right now.”
Stella’s eyes widened, “That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”
Malia looked at her and smiled slightly. “It is still a theory, but if his life force has been weakening and yet his complexion is improving, it is a possibility. Of course, his magic will not deplete his life force. At some point, his magic will stop absorbing his life force, and I believe it means his body has completely adapted to the changes of his magic when that happens. Soon his life force will recover, and he’ll be able to wake up.”
“And how long will that be?”
Malia shook her head, “I don’t know. His magic is very … special. It’s my first time encountering magic using a person’s life force as fuel.”
Stella sat down on the bed and looked at Kyran. “Maybe it’s because his magic has been sealed for a long time? A mage slowly adapts to his innate magic by utilizing the energy around him. Since his magic has no access to the outside energy, it may have used the closest energy source it could find, and that’s his life force.”
“My thoughts exactly. Twelve years ago, when Kyran’s magic was too unrestrained that it absorbed all the energy around him, he fell into a coma because of his weak young body. However, when the Cade put a seal on Kyran, it helped restrain his magic. Cade may have anticipated how his magic would react. Now it made more sense to me why he decided to have Kyran attend a military school. A human’s life force is dependent on how strong his physical strength is.”
“Could be. But if Kyran ended up unconscious for days to recover, his mental state might suffer again once he wakes up. A day’s delay in saving his clan is practically a lethal poison to him.”
Malia sighed, “I’ve heard from Avrum. All this commotion, he did it to get your attention and get you to go against the army. It looks like he is very desperate.”
“Yes,” Stella agreed. “Since he is the son of the next Patriarch. Just imagine the kind of mentality he had growing up. Once his father becomes the Patriarch, he’s probably convinced that he needed to contribute well in protecting the whole clan and support his father as much as he can.”
Malia nodded, “The fact that he also thought he didn’t have magic may have strengthened his resolve.”
“Others might think he would feel resentful towards his family hiding the truth about his magic, but looking at his actions, he felt more responsible than ever on what will happen to his clan.”
“It is a pity. How did the army detect his magic signature? I know young Kyran’s magic has gotten stronger over the years. But when I last spoke with Patriarch Aron, he told me Cade was trying out a new seal. I also remembered aside from the usual materials Cade ordered from the chamber and the rare items the hall provided, he also ordered many herbs at the association recently. Did he fail?”
Stella shook her head, “We can only know the answer once we establish a communication channel with them.”
“The Regis also had a way to camouflage magic signatures. Although it is lower-tier than Noir created here in Starhorn, it shouldn’t be easily breached. Or is it possible for both Cade’s seal and the camouflage to be broken simultaneously? I don’t want to think about it, but what if there is someone from the Regis who might have sabotage the-.”
“Malia. In the history of the Regis, there had only been one incident where someone tried to betray the clan. And that person did not last half a day.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that what happened to them is too sudden.”
Talking to Malia made Stella think that there might be more to this incident. She wondered why the Regis planned to move the ‘item’ out from the Regis Terram—knowing that it might bring harm to Kyran. She might have to look at this from a different perspective.
Shaking her head, Stella looked at Malia and smile. “Maybe we’re just overthinking. Right, do you have any suggestions on how to hasten Kyran’s recovery? I can use my magic to change the flow of time here, but there’s a chance his magic will negate it.”
With a smile, Malia nodded. “I do,” she said while taking out a bottle filled with light blue liquid.
“I have recently concocted a potion that can strengthen a person’s life force.”
Stella suddenly looked at her solemnly, “Is that the potion you’ve been working on for Hugh?”
Malia smiled, “Yes. I called it Pruna. And I know what you’re going to say, Milord. Don’t worry, and I successfully concocted a full cauldron. I know Hugh will need a lot to recover, but now that I already have the recipe, I’ll be able to make more. Giving young Kyran some will not be a problem.”
“Thank you, Malia. Inform Malek of all the materials you need for the potion. I’ll have Vaness make sure to provide you with enough supply.”
Stella told her and made a mental note to talk to Emery. Since she’s here, it would be better to let her speak to Head Chief Vaness about her additional request.
“Thank you, Milord.”
Stella took the bottle from Malia’s hand and asked, “How much should I give him?”
“We can start with half a teaspoon.”
Stella looked at Kyran, “Will he be able to take it properly? I mean… he’s unconscious.”
Malia chuckled.
Because Stella usually had the air of someone in control, Malia forgot that she was only in her twenties and had her shortcomings. She never was in a position where she had to look after a patient.
“Well, he can’t drink it directly. As you said, he is unconscious. The potion itself is concentrated and will not easily go down his throat, so…” Malia explained and rummaged through her pouch.
A thought crossed Stella’s mind, and her face suddenly reddened, “So we need to force it down.”
“That’s another way to do it, but…” Malia replied absentmindedly.
“Then… I-I can take it and f-force him to drink it if I-.”
“Ah, here it is!” Malia took out a syringe and showed it to Stella.
“We’ll be using this-Milord?” She stopped short after seeing Stella’s flushed cheeks. “Are you alright? Your face seemed-.”
“I’m fine!” Stella replied with a slightly shrill voice. She cleared her throat and forced a laugh. “Ahahaha! Right! Of course, you have those!”
Malia looked at her quizzically, “Yes, I do. Are you sure you’re okay? You looked really-.”
“Yes, I am! Just show me how it is done. I can’t trouble you to come here each time I have to give him the potion,” Stella interrupted.
“Alright…” Malia was a little hesitant but decided not to delay any further.
After injecting the potion into Kyran’s left arm, both of them immediately saw it work.
“Well…” Malia was surprised. She knew well enough that this result was not because the potion was very effective but that Kyran could immediately absorb the potion and effectively distribute it to his bloodstream.
“I heard that the Regis’s body tempering technique helps them absorb a potion effectively. But this is…”
“No, Malia. The reason is not because of that. It is simply a Regis’s innate ability,” Stella told Malia with a soft smile on her face.
Malia could not help but smile herself after seeing Stella’s expression.
Although Malek was the Head of Conclave and was Stella’s right-hand man, Malia was the closest to Stella. She knew how much Stella had been looking forward to meeting Kyran.
One could say that they were of kindred spirit, being born with innate forbidden magic. Unfortunately, it was precisely this fact that they couldn’t meet until now.
“Stay for a few days, Malia. Once the rest of the council arrives, we’ll have a meeting.”
“Yes, Milord. Then I will leave you for now. If you need anything, please call for me.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Once Malia left, Stella looked back at Kyran and gently brushed a strand of loose hair off his face.
“I hope you’ll wake up soon. There are so many things I want us to talk about,” she told him almost in a whisper.