"Today, what I witnessed was truly a miracle. My heart still has not settled. To see with my own eyes the divine power of the divine sword... I thought I was witnessing a page from the founding legends."

"How embarrassing."

On the way out, after leaving behind Baron Willhem and the priests, Micalin endlessly showered Kishiar with praise he had been holding back. Seeing Kishiar's face show no sign of embarrassment, Micalin, with an excited face, turned his flood of compliments towards Lusan, who was following them.

"That's right. The young priest's divine power was also truly remarkable. To have such potent divine power at such a young age... The Temple has surely missed a great talent. Heh heh."

"What? I haven't really done anything..."

Lusan, taken aback as the conversation suddenly turned towards him, didn't know what to do with himself, prompting the elder mage to shake his head.

"What are you talking about? Do you know that after our union's mages saw you, they have been rushing to the Temple to offer worship? Everyone will be very pleased to know what happened today."

"If it weren't for Priest Lusan's exceptional abilities, proving the power of the divine sword would have been very difficult. Anyone would know that, so don't be too modest."

"Ah, thank you."

When Kishiar also joined in, Lusan's ears turned red.

"I don't think I should hear such grand praise, since my divine power only increased after what happened in Great Sarain Forest... but I'm glad I could help both of you."

It was a bit surprising to learn that Lusan's divine power had increased after the events in Great Sarain Forest, but on the other hand, it also made sense.

'After using his divine power extensively and honing it in Great Sarain Forest, it would naturally grow.'

Lusan's reputation would probably join that of the Cavalry in the gossip mill, and it was a sure bet.

With a face freshened as years of frustration were relieved, Micalin turned to Kishiar, who casually asked a question as they walked by.

"By the way... do you know anything about Baron Willhem's charity party that supposedly took place last year?"

Micalin tilted his head at the sudden question.

"The party that the Baron occasionally throws to wring out money? After being fooled in the first year we established our headquarters in Tainu, I haven't attended again, so I don't really know. But why are you curious about that?"

A party to wring out money. Considering the information about the party he had heard from Pruelle, there could be no more accurate expression.

"It's supposed to happen again soon, so I was just wondering."

"At such a chaotic time? I've long known he had neither thought nor conscience, but he always surpasses expectations. The unprecedented situation of closing the city gates has barely passed, and now this!"

Micalin harshly criticized Baron Willhem. He spat out words filled with resentment like a machine gun, then belatedly collected himself and examined Kishiar's complexion.

"Ah, if Your Highness wishes me to attend, I will try to do so, but..."

"That's fine. More importantly, the cooperation on security with the Western Mage Union and the matters concerning Great Sarain Forest are far more vital. Make sure to handle those things when you get back."

"Yes, of course. Don't worry about either matter."

The elder mage gladly responded. After he left and Lusan went on his way to take care of those who had lost their memories, Yuder finally opened his mouth, which had been shut all this time, to ask a question.

"You've decided to cooperate with the Western Mage Union on security?"

"Yes. We discussed it when he came to see me earlier. Fortunately, he seemed very cooperative."

Maintaining the peace of Tainu, calming the confusion of the people, and searching for the Star of Nagran required not only the cooperation of the few mages and the Peletta Knights but also many others. If the Western Mage Union decided to follow Kishiar and the Cavalry, things would have been much easier.

"Thank goodness."

"Yes. It was good that they arrived just in time. Speaking of which, I wonder if Nathan conveyed the message properly to Pruelle..."

Kishiar's gaze shifted to the mansion not far away. Somewhere deep within, Graham Willhem was likely to be dwelling.

A fleeting sharpness, like that of a beast eyeing its prey, passed over his red eyes and then vanished. With an unbreakable determination, one that one could hardly attribute to the person who had just demonstrated the power of the divine sword, he was immediately calculating the next task and the tasks that would follow.

"...I'm looking forward to dinner tonight."

"So am I. Indeed, there's no one who understands me as well as my assistant."

The two exchanged a similar smile.

"I was able to hear quite a few things from Graham."

That evening, when Pruelle appeared at dinner with Nathan Zuckerman, he reported the success of their plan as soon as he sat down.

"It was a bit of a struggle at first since he was out of his mind from the drugs, but I believe the information is reliable."

"He must have been terrified by the memories of that day. Well, it's understandable."

Kishiar replied, cutting his meat.

"Yes. Luckily, he seems to have forgotten that I asked him anything. Even if he talks to the real Baron Willhem later, it seems there's no risk of today's events being exposed."

"So, what did he know?"

"According to Graham, the most important 'items' are divided and placed in a secret building connected to the basement of the consortium building and another location. He managed the items in the consortium building, and it seems that Baron Willhem managed the others."

'Just as I thought.'

The unsettling behavior of Graham, who seemed to have hidden something in the basement of the consortium building he claimed was empty, and the soldiers who unusually patrolled the nearby entertainment district often. He had predicted it to some extent, but the connection was finally clearly revealed.

"Did you ask what items are there?"

"Yes. He said that the area near the top has drugs and valuables, and the other side has 'horses.'"

"We must search the area and secure them first. But did he not even give a hint as to the other location?"

"I couldn't confirm the location precisely as he was so incoherent. However..."

Pruelle's voice trailed off as he looked thoughtfully at the food on his plate.

"He kept repeating that the place is so secure that nobody but a person of his bloodline could open it."

"That's quite a significant statement. It's not a metaphor; we'll have to think about where it might be."

At that moment, Yuder thought that perhaps he knew the answer. It was thanks to the words from Enon that had crossed his mind earlier.

"...Commander. I apologize for being sudden, but I have something to say about what I discovered on the third floor of the prison."

"Hmm?"

Kishiar turned his head.

"What do you have to say?"

"In the olden times where the Duke of Tain resided, I have heard that there was a magic device that could only be opened by the power of blood lineage. Hearing Prince Pruelle's words, it seems we may need to consider the possibility that the crest of the House of Tain we saw there could be some magic locking device."

"A magic device that can only be opened with the power of blood lineage?"

Pruelle's eyes widened a bit as he questioned. It seemed he was unaware that such a thing existed. Kishiar also stopped cutting his meat and fell into thought, but soon opened his mouth as if he understood what Yuder was talking about.

"…Protection of blood, huh? Hmm. Certainly, since the building was made during that era, and if the owner was a mage, there is a possibility that such a device was made to hide the fourth floor."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but could you tell me what the protection of blood is? I'm ashamed to say I don't know much about magic, so I can't guess."

"It's a device that mages used about a thousand years ago as one of the methods to thoroughly protect secrets. They made it so that only the mage and those connected by his bloodline could enter where the hidden secret was."

Kishiar, who gave an almost identical explanation, added,

"If it were the old days when magic energy filled the world abundantly, it might be known, but it has not been used for a long time now due to various problems. It's natural not to know. There's no need to blame yourself."

"Is that so?"

Pruelle, nodding his head, looked back at Yuder with a newly surprised face.

"How did Sir Aile know about such a device? That's really remarkable."

"...If the fourth floor exists, I was curious how it could have been hidden, and I happened to learn about this method while gathering information. If Prince Pruelle hadn't told me that the first Duke of Tain was a mage, it would have been hard to find out."

The one who had informed him of this method was Enon, but since he couldn't reveal Enon's identity, he had no choice but to fumble through the explanation.

"That's still impressive."

Yuder felt Kishiar's gaze on his face as well as Pruelle, who purely admired him. He avoided Kishiar's penetrating, soundless red eyes and moved his hand toward the food plate.

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