Alon had already achieved all of his objectives at the Blue Tower. His goal was to obtain the artifact hidden in the underground chamber of the tower, and now that he had it, there was no reason for him to stay any longer. He decided to leave the Blue Tower immediately, partly because there was no reason to linger, but also because Penia, who was already annoyed, might cause trouble if he stayed. Although he knew she wasn’t an entirely irrational person, there was always a chance that something unexpected could happen.

He thought this way just after he dealt with the artifact and let out a secret sigh of relief.

But then…

“What is… this?”

“It’s a potion I made.”

Alon glanced at her, forcing a smile despite his sharp gaze, and then picked up the potion bottle from the table. The liquid inside was a deep blue, and it emitted a white glow when shaken slightly.

‘…This is… a magic recovery potion. And a highly valuable one at that…’

In this world, magic potions don’t work immediately like in other games; instead, their effects appear gradually. Therefore, it would be more accurate to call them “Magic Recovery Enhancement Potions” rather than just “Magic Recovery Potions.”

However, among all the potions, the five bottles Penia placed before Alon were the only ones here that truly lived up to the name “Magic Recovery Potion.” The highest-grade potion he held could restore some magic power almost instantly, just by drinking it.

These potions, which were called Magic Recovery Potions but were actually Magic Recovery Enhancement Potions, were incredibly expensive. Alon had once tried to buy a magic potion when he felt inconvenienced by only being able to use magic once a day, but the price had almost made him faint.

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‘I think the cost of these two bottles alone could buy a small villa…’

As he stared at the potion for a while, he turned his gaze to Penia. Her awkward smile revealed a hint of nervousness, and as soon as he looked at her, she spoke.

“Do you like it?”

“I understand it’s a high-grade potion, but why are you showing this to me?”

“I’m giving it to you.”

“You’re giving me this potion?”

“Yes.”

“…?”

A question mark appeared in Alon’s mind. He could somewhat understand why her attitude had changed immediately after he closed the artifact. She might have felt a bit of gratitude or awe since the method to close the artifact was unknown until now.

But to Alon, Penia’s current behavior didn’t seem to stem from gratitude or awe at all.

‘Does she misunderstand me like that wizard who came with Lady Zenonia last time?’

With this thought in mind, Alon spoke.

“…Just to clarify, I’m a Second Rank Wizard.”

“Yes, I know. Of course, you’re a Second Rank Wizard.”

When he opened his mouth, suspecting that she might be mistaken, Penia nodded eagerly as if she had been waiting for him to say that, leaving him even more confused.

Seeing her nod so earnestly, Alon couldn’t help but wonder if she was just trying to flatter him.

However, Penia’s expression did not seem playful at all. In other words, it was clear that Penia wasn’t mistaken about anything, which only made Alon more confused.

“I swear I’ll keep what I saw earlier a secret. Absolutely, without a doubt,” Penia continued.

Alon replied, “There’s no need to make such a promise—”

“No, please! Make me promise. I want to promise. If necessary, I can even swear on my magic. I’ll do it right here and now!”

“Wait, hold—”

Before Alon could finish speaking, Penia quickly began gathering her magic power. The sudden surge of intense magic filled the office, making Alon’s heart skip a beat, and before he could say anything, Penia had already sworn a magical oath.

‘Is she really going this far just to keep the method for closing the artifact a secret? Sure, the artifact is a mystery to them at this point, but…’

On the outside, Alon remained expressionless, but internally, he was utterly bewildered. He realized that Penia was clearly misunderstanding something.

“You see? I’m good at keeping promises. I’ll keep this secret, absolutely…!”

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“…Alright.”

Seeing Penia speak so desperately after making her oath, Alon could only nod calmly in response. There was no sign that her misunderstanding would clear up anytime soon.

Thus, Alon left the Blue Tower with five bottles of magic recovery potion and the artifact he had sought.

***

Riding in the carriage back to the count’s estate from the Blue Tower, Alon naturally glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. This bracelet, which he had received permission from Penia to take after closing the artifact, was the very item he had aimed to acquire on his trip to the Blue Tower.

‘The Bracelet of the Impure.’

The design of the bracelet wasn’t particularly refined. To compare it, it looked like a cheap bracelet that could be bought for less than 10,000 won at a local market. The only unique feature was the black gemstones embedded in it, which seemed to absorb all light. Other than that, it didn’t have any remarkable appearance.

But despite its plain and unimpressive look, the bracelet had the ability to compensate for Alon’s small mana pool.

Alon subtly rotated his wrist to examine the black gemstones. Although they were not visible at first glance, a faint blue energy could be seen rippling through the stones if one looked closely.

‘It’s working well.’

The bracelet’s ability was to absorb and store ambient magic, allowing the user to utilize it when needed. While the amount of magic the bracelet could store was limited, and not particularly large, it amusingly held more magic than Alon’s own mana pool.

“…”

For a brief moment, Alon experienced a strange sense of realization as he compared his own body’s capacity to store magic with that of an item designed merely to assist wizards, like something out of Psychedelia. But that feeling soon passed.

“Sigh.”

He took a deep breath, calming his thoughts.

‘This is sufficient. I’m not going into battle, after all.’

After all, the reason he sought out the Insignia of the Impure was to enhance his magical studies more efficiently and to protect himself in case of unforeseen danger.

In this sense, the amount of magic provided by the Insignia of the Impure was more than enough—it wasn’t an overwhelming surplus, but neither was it insufficient.

Of course, having more is always better than having less. 

“There seemed to be a technique among the artifacts to forcibly regulate power and reduce mana consumption, so I should study that,” Alon thought as he lightened his mood and concluded his musings. He then looked out of the carriage. As he gazed outside, he suddenly recalled Penia, who had bowed respectfully to him just before he got into the carriage.

‘What on earth is going on?’

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Thinking about Penia’s odd behavior that started right after he closed the artifact, Alon shrugged his shoulders. After all, he had no further business with her.

He briefly watched the forest outside, bathed in the soft sunlight, swaying gently in a subtle green hue. It was a warm spring day.

***

While Alon was on his way back to the Palatio Count’s estate, two women were sitting across from each other in the office of the Duke of Altia’s residence. One was Roria, the head of the duke’s household, who had completely absorbed the power of the Altia family and taken on the authority of the former duke. The other was Kalia, the lady of the Zenonia Count’s family—or more precisely, the de facto ruler of the Zenonia household.

“It’s been a while,” Kalia greeted.

“Indeed,” Roria responded.

The two exchanged casual greetings. Under normal circumstances, this would have been unthinkable. Roria had already inherited the noble title and was a duchess, while Kalia was still a countess and had not even officially taken over her family’s title. However, despite this, Roria did not seem at all displeased by the lack of formal respect. 

The reason was that Roria knew Kalia held full control over the Zenonia household. Moreover, in the underworld, the name of the Zenonia Count was slightly more prominent than that of the Altia Duke.

But above all, Roria allowed Kalia to speak informally because they both served the same person—the Palatio Count. 

In other words, they had no need to engage in a power struggle. Whether they liked it or not, they were both bound to forge an alliance under the orders of the Palatio Count, even if they didn’t fully understand why.

While they only realized that the phrase “meet the Altia Duke” meant forming an alliance after their conversation revealed they were both under the Palatio Count, they understood that determining the hierarchy beneath an absolute number one was meaningless.

“So, why did you come today? The meeting is next month, isn’t it?” Roria asked.

Kalia cautiously took out a letter from her pocket and placed it on the desk.

“He sent a letter, so I came.”

“…This?” 

“Yes,” Kalia nodded.

Roria picked up the letter and began reading its contents silently. The letter was far from a secretive document; it was an exceedingly ordinary letter. It contained a brief greeting, followed by discussions on noble families, with a few examples mentioned. It concluded with the remark, “There aren’t many nobles who get along well with me.”

This was indeed a letter Alon had sent about a month ago, filled with somewhat reasonable explanations after feeling guilty for treating Kalia dismissively. The gist of Alon’s message was, “I’m not just being difficult with you—I’m a bit curt with other nobles too. You weren’t the only one.”

For an ordinary noble who received such treatment and then received this letter, they might have deduced Alon’s true intentions as intended.

However, Alon had overlooked three critical points. 

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First, the individuals reading this letter were influential figures in the underworld. Second, they viewed the Palatio Count as an undefeatable force. Third, because of the second point, they naturally assumed that this ordinary letter must contain some hidden command.

And, true to her sharp mind, Kalia began to piece together an impossible puzzle, as expected of a major player in the underworld.

“Kenia Baron is part of the aristocratic faction… and Marantino Marquis is one of the key figures in the royalist faction.”

“Viscount Vilanda is with the royalists, and likewise, Duke Paldion is a prominent member of the aristocratic faction.”

As they began to classify the noble families that Alon had mentioned meeting and speaking with at the ball, it didn’t take long before they started piecing together the puzzle.

“In summary, it seems he doesn’t favor either the aristocratic or the royalist factions.”

For a brief moment, they both thought of the idea, “Does he want to kill them all?” But they shook their heads in unison, as if they had agreed beforehand. It was too irrational.

Naturally, the alternative that came to mind was:

“Does he want to push out the existing nobles and create a new regime?”

After saying this, the two fell silent. Normally, this would be an impossible scenario. Changing an already established system isn’t something that can be achieved by just a handful of nobles gathering together.

But for these two, who breathed politics like air and constantly weighed the scales of power, the story was entirely different. It would require various preparations and time, but ultimately, the answer they arrived at was: “It’s possible.”

“Aha,” Roria let out a low exclamation. 

To be honest, until now, she hadn’t been able to guess what Alon was aiming for, nor did she understand why he had made her a duchess. But if this was truly his goal, then everything made sense.

If he was indeed planning what she thought, then the “notoriety” of the Altia Duke was absolutely necessary. Moreover, if they allied with the Zenonia Count, the dominant force in the west, the scales of success would undoubtedly tip in their favor.

“…It seems that must be the case,” Roria said, shuddering as she realized the true intent behind the Count’s actions.

And so, late in the afternoon, as the sun set and the twilight descended, they began to draft their plans in a room where not even a magical lamp was lit.

…A strange puzzle had been pieced together and was now beginning to move on its own.

At that very moment, Alon…

“Hmm. Hmm…?”

In a forest where the early sunset brought a drop in temperature, he was eating a sweet potato.

“Tasty.”

Completely unaware of anything, his small remark as he took a bite of the sweet potato faded into the forest.

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