Berth sat in his dimly lit chamber, his fingers digging into the armrests of his chair. His informants had rushed in moments ago, their expressions grim. The news was dire—the king had issued an order to subdue Duke Callius. Rage burned within Berth's sharp eyes. He clenched his fists and slammed them on the table, sending cracks running across its surface.
"Damn it! That bastard Callius must have left behind something incriminating," Berth growled, turning to his most trusted enforcer, Cyrus. "Go. Kill the duke. Make sure no evidence remains."
Cyrus, standing by the shadows, smirked and nodded. "Consider it done."
Moving under the cover of darkness, Cyrus made his way to the Duke's palace. His approach was meticulous—his squad provided the perfect distraction, luring away the guards with small skirmishes. As expected, no one was able to detect him as he infiltrated the inner halls. He moved swiftly, a specter in the corridors, his presence barely a whisper.
He was just steps away from the duke's chamber when a blazing pillar of fire erupted in his path. A robed figure emerged, a seventh-circle fire mage standing as his obstacle.
"I was expecting an intruder," the mage said, his eyes narrowed. "But I never thought it would be you, Cyrus."
Cyrus merely sighed, shaking his head. "You should've run when you had the chance."
The fire mage conjured an inferno, his strongest spell lighting up the hallway. But Cyrus, already prepared, countered instantly. With a flick of his fingers, a monstrous typhoon of water erupted from his palms, colliding with the flames. Steam hissed violently, clouding the corridor in a suffocating mist. Before the fire mage could react, tendrils of water wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground.
Cyrus tightened his grip. The mage struggled, gasping for breath, but within moments, his movements ceased. Cyrus let the body drop unceremoniously before pushing forward.
He entered the Duke's chamber quietly, his blade drawn. Duke Callius was fast asleep, oblivious to the impending doom. With precise movements, Cyrus raised his dagger, aiming straight for the duke's throat.
Just as the blade was about to pierce flesh, a voice echoed from the darkness.
"You guys are so easy to read, huh?"
A shadow detached from the corner of the room, stepping into the flickering candlelight. Reyon emerged, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement.
Callius jolted awake, his breath hitching. As soon as he saw Reyon, he stumbled out of bed, fear evident on his face. "I never thought… Berth would try to kill me. I helped him so much, yet he still—! If it wasn't for this guy, I'd be dead! Please, save me! I'll testify! I'll surrender myself to the king!"
Cyrus' expression twisted into a sneer. "Ahaha… I never thought I'd be taking care of two annoyances tonight." His gaze darkened. "Ever since you joined, Reyon, I've wanted to kill you. I knew you had an ulterior motive. You were never loyal to us."
"Ah, so you've finally said it out loud," Reyon mused, tilting his head. "Then I suppose there's no need to hold back."
Cyrus immediately unleashed a surge of water mana, forming a massive tidal wave that surged toward Reyon. "Water Rage!"
Reyon raised a hand, barely amused. The moment the raging waters neared him, they were crushed instantly by an unseen force.
"You think this is enough to defeat me? Foolish." Reyon's voice was eerily calm.
Cyrus' eyes widened. "Tch, I knew you were hiding your true strength. Let's see how you handle this!" He chanted rapidly, summoning his strongest spell. "Water Typhoon!"
A swirling vortex of water magic roared to life, crashing towards Reyon with enough force to level the chamber.
Reyon, however, simply smirked. He raised a hand, and the ancient vector symbol σ glowed in the air. The power of the typhoon was instantly reduced to a fraction of its original strength. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Reyon cast Wind Storm.
The weakened typhoon turned against its master. Wind surged violently, amplifying the already chaotic water magic, and the combined force slammed into Cyrus.
"Gah—!" Cyrus was thrown back, his body colliding with the stone walls of the chamber. Blood trickled from his mouth as he coughed, struggling to stand.
Reyon approached, his expression unreadable. "Berth will kill you the moment he realizes you failed. You're nothing more than a disposable pawn."
Cyrus chuckled weakly, spitting blood onto the ground. "You… you don't know what you're dealing with. Berth… is beyond you."
Reyon tilted his head, unimpressed. "We'll see about that."
With one swift motion, Reyon's blade sliced through Cyrus' neck. The enforcer's body collapsed lifelessly onto the cold floor.
Not long after, the royal guards stormed into the palace, sealing off the exits. Their captain, a stern-looking man with an air of authority, scanned the room. His eyes landed on Reyon, standing over Cyrus' corpse.
"So you're the informer," the captain mused, studying Reyon carefully. "I can't believe you took down a peak seventh-circle mage when you're only in the fifth circle… and not even twenty years old."
Reyon shrugged. "Believe what you want."
The captain's gaze hardened. "Regardless, you're still a member of the Classers. You'll be taken into custody."
Reyon narrowed his eyes. "I've already settled things with Julie. Let me go."
The captain's brow furrowed. "Firstly, address her properly. She is Princess Julie. Secondly, she personally ordered your capture. You're a greater threat than Berth or Duke Callius."
Reyon exhaled, rubbing his temples. "I knew this would happen. The moment she found out I knew her real identity, she'd be suspicious." His mind raced, calculating his options. He could escape, but doing so would make future negotiations with the Elise Kingdom nearly impossible.
He sighed. "Fine. I'll come with you. But don't bind me." His eyes darkened. "If I wanted to run, even your entire squad wouldn't be able to stop me."
The captain studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Very well. Move."
As Reyon walked with the royal guards, he smirked to himself. This was merely another step in the grand game he was playing. Soon, Berth would fall, and his true plan would unfold.
The night was far from over.