Leon fell into contemplation at Ria's suggestion.

Creating his own organization, with Zirka on the outside, was clearly an effective strategy for expanding influence and strengthening his power base.

The fact that Zirka, bound by the Mana Scale, retained his own mind would also facilitate the plan.

‘It’s not like he has a familiar contract like Kito, where we can communicate through a shared consciousness….’

Fortunately, there were plenty of communication artifacts available, so it wasn’t a major issue.

However, this wasn’t something he could implement right away. Growing an organization required careful preparation and couldn't be done recklessly.

On the way back to Pirein, Leon asked Zirka where he had obtained the Mana Scale.

“There was someone who took me in when I was younger…”

Zirka began talking about his mentor.

Growing up under ordinary magician parents, Zirka had shown enough talent to be accepted into the Royal Academy in his youth.

However, once he entered, he found himself surrounded by magicians with far superior abilities, and with no backing, he was only met with disdain.

It was then that Zirka was taken in by the Black Tower, Nersunbella.

“Nersunbella…?”

The name was unfamiliar to Leon, and he raised an eyebrow.

And the Black Tower, no less.

‘There’s no trace of dark magic on Zirka….’

Even the magic he currently used was standard C-class magic.

Seeing Leon’s curiosity, Zirka continued.

“That dark mage taught me magic while we wandered through various cities. At the time, I had no idea he was a dark mage since he only taught me regular magic. But one day, he claimed he knew a way to help me rapidly advance and took me to the Black Tower.”

The moment he arrived at the Black Tower, Zirka sensed a disturbing aura.

It wasn’t long before he realized he was nothing more than an experimental subject, a mere tool.

“The moment I realized that, I tried to escape, but I was captured and dragged to a place… a ritual altar.”

“An altar?”

A brief image of a blood mage’s altar flashed through Leon’s mind.

“Explain in more detail.”

“I don’t remember the exact background due to the chaos, but one vivid memory is of the endless piles of human corpses surrounding the altar.”

“…”

The altar surrounded by corpses that Zirka described was strikingly similar to what Leon had seen in the hideout of the blood mages. Of course, it could just be that most dark mage rituals followed a similar structure...

“How did you survive?”

“Another faction attacked the place during the ritual.”

Zirka explained that just as the ritual was underway, the place was raided.

“The intruders fought fiercely against the members of the Black Tower who had brought us… and in the end, neither side emerged victorious.”

A mutual destruction, in other words.

“So that’s how you survived? Then how did you end up with the Mana Scale?”

“The Mana Scale was among the items the dark mages had brought for the ritual. There were over ten of us bound as sacrifices… and somehow, only three of us survived….”

“What happened to the others?”

Zirka hesitated, gauging Leon’s reaction before continuing.

“There were two other artifacts besides the Mana Scale. I don’t know their exact abilities, but they emitted an aura similar to the Mana Scale. I teamed up with two other survivors to eliminate the rest and split the artifacts. After that, we each went our separate ways.”

Even in that desperate situation, he had been blinded by the artifacts, taking the Mana Scale at the cost of others’ lives.

Leon’s interest, however, was piqued by something else.

“There were two others….”

So, three artifacts with the appearance of magical tools were prepared for the ritual?

Why would that be?

‘If this truly connects to the blood mages… could they have needed these items to resurrect an ancient blood mage?’

His thoughts trailed into endless speculation.

For now, he could only guess, lacking any solid information.

“What became of Nersunbella?”

“That… I’m not sure. After escaping that place, I’ve avoided any involvement with dark magic.”

Since he was aware of the Mana Scale’s value, he must have been extremely cautious.

It was only after many years had passed that he likely dared to start using it, which explained why he only had five slaves, despite possessing it from a young age.

‘Given Zirka’s history with dark mages, I’ll need to be careful not to involve him in any future dealings with them.’

As Zirka would likely play a significant role in Leon’s organization, it was essential to understand the forces he had avoided.

Furthermore, if this was indeed related to blood magic, there was a strong chance of a connection to Teneron. The presence of Teneron’s symbol among the blood mages had already been confirmed.

‘Teneron, blood mages… and Nersunbella….’

If they were indeed linked, what could their true objective be?

Was it merely to resurrect an ancient blood mage, or did they have a grander plan hidden within?

Whatever their purpose, it wouldn’t end peacefully.

‘I’ll just keep it in mind.’

Leon had the means to contact the blood mages if necessary.

In front of the altar he had once encountered, he’d found a book with a specific magic circle, which had accidentally connected him to the blood mages’ ritual.

Back then, he’d been caught off guard and quickly severed his mana link, but if they hadn’t changed their communication method, he could use the same magic circle to reach them.

He even knew the exact structure of the magic circle used in the ritual.

Yet Leon shook his head.

‘There’s no need to initiate contact.’

Astelia was already tracking down traces of the blood mages.

However, he kept in mind that the Mana Scale might play some role in their schemes.

 

After much deliberation, they arrived back at the magical city, Pirein.

They recovered the Concealment Lantern nearby and re-entered the city as ordinary travelers. Leon instructed Zirka to wait outside, as he could be recognized by those familiar with his reputation as a slave trader, which could cause unnecessary trouble.

Heading straight to the repair shop, Leon settled the remaining balance and retrieved the repaired Silver Broom.

“It’s been a while! I wasn’t sure how long I’d have to wait. If it would’ve taken any longer, a heads-up would’ve been appreciated,” the repairman greeted him warmly.

“I got delayed by an unexpected matter. My apologies for the wait.”

“No problem. I’m just glad you’re here to pick it up. I was a bit worried you might never return.”

The Silver Broom was thoroughly repaired.

Having already paid 350,000 mana stones as a deposit, Leon handed over the remaining 350,000 before leaving the shop.

He carefully examined the Silver Broom’s abilities.

The Silver Broom operated on a similar mechanism to the Golden Wing, but its basic flight speed was far faster.

Though the Golden Wing was a useful flight-assistance artifact, its primary advantage lay in its “acceleration” feature, which helped manage mana consumption, but the base speed remained ordinary.

In contrast, the Silver Broom’s base flight speed was exceptional, enough to cut the two-week journey to the Elven Forest in half.

Additionally, this artifact was equipped with a high-speed acceleration function that exceeded physical limitations.

The acceleration could be used up to ten times per day, and once the limit was reached, it would be unavailable for the rest of the day.

Leon deemed ten uses sufficient.

The only downside was that the broom was built for single use.

With the Silver Broom in hand, Leon headed to a nearby herb shop.

B-grade herbs, typically auctioned, were unavailable in the day’s auction. Fortunately, he could still purchase C-grade herbs at the shop, acquiring all listed ingredients for his concoctions.

‘Now that I think of it, B-grade essence requires water from the Lake of Mysteries.’

Leon thought of checking if the lake contained in his orb was indeed the same Lake of Mysteries.

If so, he would have easy access to the materials needed even for A-grade essences.

 

Leon and Ria stayed at an inn, discussing how best to utilize Zirka.

Leon spoke thoughtfully.

“If we want Zirka to operate separately… first, we need to establish a base.”

“Yes… but that wouldn’t be possible here.”

It wasn’t feasible to have Zirka, known as a slave trader, operate so openly here.

“The most powerful reason to gather magicians would be to establish a magic school, but…”

Leon paused.

While he could envision leading a school and forming a faction, it was too soon for such steps.

Seeing his hesitance, Ria carefully suggested an alternative.

“The best way might be to start by recruiting those you’re already acquainted with. Trust makes things easier, after all.”

“Do I have a way to bring them over? Even if we’re familiar, I can’t just call them without reason.”

Moreover, Leon hadn’t exactly cultivated many personal connections with those he’d met so far.

“What if you offered mana stones or taught them new magic in exchange for assignments? It’s not the same as the formal reputation of a school, but it might be enough reason to join.”

Providing mana stones and new spells was well within Leon’s capabilities.

Each time he trained, he completed quests that yielded rewards.

He could simply use the rewards he’d accumulated or discarded.

As Leon and Ria discussed plans more concretely, Ria’s necklace suddenly glowed.

“Hold on… I’m receiving a message from my master.”

Ria infused mana into the necklace, which emitted a gentle yellow light as a familiar voice emerged.

“How much longer do you plan to stay out? Isn’t it about time you returned?”

It was Arpina’s voice.

“We’ve found traces of the blood mages. Tell Leon to return to the school if he’s curious.”