[To Nadel. Hear our call.

The day we’ve long prepared for is approaching.

Before the shadow of the moon passes three times, the ancient power will awaken.

Our lord shall finally rise from his slumber, and this world will be placed under a new order.

That glorious first step will begin in Parmal.

The conservatives who shun black magic could never imagine the bold steps we are about to take.

We need your strength to protect our ritual and stop those who would hinder us.

You must arrive here before the day comes.

The brothers bound by a blood oath will be waiting for you.]

That was all the parchment contained.

Leon’s fingers traced over the rough surface, repeating the words in his mind once again.

“Is the revival of an ancient sorcerer imminent?”

When had this parchment been delivered to the Blood Mages?

Had the process already begun?

Or had one of the steps been in progress when Leon and his group intervened?

Whatever the case, Leon couldn’t keep this information to himself. This wasn’t something he could handle alone.

“I should tell Arpina about this first.”

After confirming that there was no further magical treatment on the parchment, Leon folded it and picked up the spellbook, deciding to examine what kind of magic it contained.

[Sky Blood.]

This was a typical blood magic spell, using blood to enhance the body and grant tremendous healing abilities.

Strengthening and healing were just the basics of this spell.

It extended further, covering blood spears, electricity, teleportation magic, and even the grand spell, Scarlet Oblivion.

It was clearly high-level blood magic.

But what piqued Leon’s interest were the body enhancement and recovery aspects.

“There’s a drawback, after all.”

The biggest flaw of this magic was that it used blood instead of mana.

The blood required wasn’t limited to the user’s own; it needed a constant supply of others’ blood.

This blood was stored in a blood core, located where a normal mage’s core would be, near the pit of the stomach. If the supply was cut off, the user would wither away, their life force drying up as if drained. It was only a matter of time before they lost their sanity and became a monster.

As Leon pondered this, a familiar voice rang in his head.

[You can use my power instead!]

It was the voice of the Demon Sword.

He thought he had sealed it off, but somehow, it had broken through to speak to him.

[Your power?]

[Yes, the power of dark magic. If you modify the blood-based spells slightly, you could use my power to cast them.]

“Dark magic...”

Of course, Leon had no intention of accepting the Demon Sword’s offer.

To use the sword’s power, he would have to make a contract with it, and unless he had additional control mechanisms in place, Leon had no intention of forming such a contract.

But the sword’s suggestion was intriguing.

In truth, Leon could use dark magic as well.

He had a talent for the darkness attribute, and in the past, he had learned black magic from the Akhripa school.

However, the shadow assimilation technique he often used didn’t require dark magic, so he had no reason to reveal it.

Although black magic was also a forbidden art, it was much more stable compared to blood magic.

Black magic relied on the darkness attribute, a singular elemental base.

“Converting blood magic entirely into dark magic...”

This would mean giving up blood-based spells like the blood spear, blood current, and the ultimate spell, Scarlet Oblivion.

But what interested Leon were the body enhancement and recovery features.

“I might even have to give up the recovery aspect.”

If he wanted to avoid any negative side effects, that was the only way.

“Is there no other method?”

Leon set aside his thoughts and stood up.

 

Leon left the training room, heading to inform Arpina of everything he had learned so far.

Her research lab was located in the Central Mage Tower.

Just as Leon was about to take his first step, someone approached him.

“Are you Leon?”

The owner of the voice was a boy who appeared to be around Leon’s age.

Leon responded with a curious expression.

“Do you know me?”

“Yes, the Seventh Elder said you are the magician who will shape Astellia’s future.”

“The Seventh Elder?”

“Yes, I am Burke, the personal disciple of the Tenth Elder. The elders have spoken so much about you that the other disciples are all curious about you as well.”

Leon couldn’t hide his confusion.

What in the world had the Seventh Elder been saying?

Leon quickly waved his hand.

“I’m not someone worthy of such a grand title.”

He was still hiding his status as a Fifth-Grade Apprentice.

Of course, Leon knew that no one believed he was truly at that level.

Burke, however, didn’t back down so easily.

“How did you become so strong? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to ask for a bit of advice.”

Leon shook his head, clearly uncomfortable.

“…I’m not in a position to give advice to others.”

He wasn’t the type to offer guidance to anyone. Moreover, his growth was thanks to tools like the orb and his growth assistant, making it difficult to explain.

Leon’s response was limited.

But Burke seemed to misunderstand, his expression hardening as if Leon didn’t want to share any advice.

“I heard you are Lady Ria’s childhood friend.”

“Ria…?”

The name caught Leon off guard, causing him to pause.

He hadn’t expected to hear her name.

Burke, on the other hand, continued with a serious expression.

“She said the person she respects most is you, Leon. Lady Ria is one of the most promising disciples among us juniors. If she respects you, there must be a reason.”

Leon could see the hidden competitiveness in Burke’s eyes.

Perhaps he wanted to challenge Leon in some way, but Burke was still only a Second-Grade Apprentice.

The gap in their skill levels was far too great.

Was it another kind of ambition?

After a brief pause, Leon replied.

“Well... I’m not sure why Ria’s name came up, but all I can say is to train hard.”

Leon’s simple response seemed to disappoint Burke.

But Leon had no intention of continuing the conversation.

He had more pressing matters to attend to.

As Leon walked away, Burke’s voice followed him.

“Will you participate in the next sparring session?”

Leon tilted his head slightly at the question.

What did he mean by that?

Did he want to spar with Leon himself? Or did he just want to see Leon’s true abilities?

“If nothing comes up, I’ll be there.”

“…Understood.”

Burke then turned and left.

 

Leon entered Arpina’s lab and relayed everything he had learned—the suspicious phrases written on the parchment, the hints of the ancient sorcerer’s revival, and the possible connection to Tenelon.

“A connection to Tenelon...?”

Arpina looked shocked.

Her expression grew even more serious as she processed the new information.

“We’ll have to look into this further. This could be more serious than we thought. And if the parchment’s contents are accurate, the revival of an ancient sorcerer could actually happen.”

Arpina quickly jotted down the details Leon had provided.

“Of course, it’s hard to say if the revival will happen based solely on the parchment. But even if it doesn’t, we should be prepared for any situation. I’ll have to inform Gliose as well.”

“If the revival is indeed imminent, will we be the ones to stop it?”

Arpina shook her head at Leon’s question.

“Our strength alone might not be enough. Gliose might even bring this to the Imperial Council if the situation warrants it. It’s that serious.”

“How powerful was this ancient sorcerer who created blood magic?”

“…At least at the transcendent mage level. I’ve only heard fragments of information, so I’ll need to research it further.”

With her work finished, Arpina smiled at Leon.

“You’ve done well again, Leon. You’re getting quite a reputation. Even the Seventh Elder has praised you, and he rarely compliments even his own disciples.”

“I was only doing my duty.”

Arpina, accustomed to his modesty, continued.

“Are you going back to training?”

“I should.”

“Good. But don’t push yourself too hard, and come see me if you need anything. I’ll handle the rest personally.”

Leon bowed and left the lab.

One thought echoed in his mind.

“I need to get stronger.”

The dangers ahead would be too much for him at his current level.

If he didn’t want to rely solely on Kito, he would have to become much stronger.

 

Back in the training room, Leon was once again immersed in the task of converting blood magic into dark magic.

Then, one night, he sensed something unusual.

There was a presence lingering outside the training room.

Leon momentarily paused his concentration and lifted his head.

“Do they need something?”

But standing outside his training room was Neo.

Anyone who knew Leon would also recognize Neo. If they had business with him, they would have signaled through Neo.

“There’s no way someone suspicious would be this deep in the city.”

Slightly on guard, Leon finally opened the door and stepped outside.