The 'clone' spell requires a specific amount of root mana to conjure a magical duplicate of the caster. It remains active until the mana depletes.

These clones possess the ability to think and even cast spells.

The 'invisible' spell simply renders the mage imperceptible.

At Rank 0, 'invisible' only conceals the caster from view.

At Rank 1, it conceals every aspect, including scent, footprints, and sound, among others.

As for Rank 2, Owen lacked knowledge of it, so he remained unsure.

Inside, a man sat alone, positioned beside a large circular table.

Owen silently cast another spell.

Silent casting presented a more challenging task, but with sufficient training, it was achievable.

The spell he invoked was 'isolation.'

This particular incantation sealed off the interior from the outside world, barring anything from entering or exiting unless it possessed the power to break the spell.

Subsequently, Owen altered his appearance once more and materialized before the man.

"What? Who are you?" Luke exclaimed.

"I ask, you answer," Owen responded. Among the spells passed down by his ancestors, a hypnosis spell was notably absent.

He also didn't possess a single Rank 2 spell.

"Guards, someone has invaded!" Luke continued to shout as he drew his sword.

"Bind," Owen cast a spell.

This spell could restrain anything, preventing the affected object or person from moving beyond the caster's limits.

"Mage?" Luke exclaimed in horror.

"Why are you attacking this city?" Owen inquired.

Clearing non-human populations was typically the task of mages, specifically, Rank Four mages.

At least, this was the practice at the Blue Light Academy, and it was likely similar in other academies.

The reason behind it was said to be related to the 'way of luck.'

They believed that excessive killing by ordinary mages could hinder their future progress, but higher-ranking mages could resist such interference.

Owen didn't fully grasp the concept.

Luke spoke as if he had never spoken before, divulging everything, including many irrelevant secrets.

"A non-human alliance? Do they even have official mages? How is this possible? Haven't the academies noticed it?" he asked Rachel.

"Maybe it's part of the academies' plan?" she suggested doubtfully.

"Let's go investigate," Owen proposed.

"Why? It's not our concern! The academies surely know of its existence and don't care," she argued.

"It's an adventure. That's why we came to this city, right?" he reminded her.

"It's risky, Owen. They have official mages. What if they can see through your disguise?" she expressed her concern.

"Don't worry. I'm cautious," he reassured her.

Then he instructed Luke, "Retreat with your army immediately."

Luke nodded and replied, "Yes, Lord Mage, we will retreat at once!"

Owen nodded, dispelled the 'isolation' and 'bind' spells, and quickly departed.

...

The following day, to the astonishment of many in the White Roof City, the invading army suddenly withdrew.

It caught everyone by surprise.

The human army had the upper hand, and with only 15 knights in the city, it seemed inevitable that they would be victorious.

...

"I don't understand why they retreated," Mia voiced her confusion.

"Are you upset?" Owen inquired.

"Of course not! It's just that this gives me a bad feeling, as if something worse is coming!" she replied with concern.

"Don't worry, everything is fine," he reassured her.

He continued, "I'm leaving here for a while. The next time I come back, I'll introduce you to a good human!"

"Are you leaving? For how long?" Mia asked.

"Perhaps ten years?" he estimated.

Elves had significantly longer lifespans than humans.

Mortal elves could live up to 500 years.

However, this gap in lifespan lessened among mages.

A Rank One elf mage gains 500 years from their mage level, in addition to their natural 500 years of lifespan, resulting in a total lifespan of 1,000 years.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A Rank Two elf mage has 3,000 years of lifespan, while a human Rank Three mage has 2,500 years.

The higher the rank, the smaller the difference.

As Owen pondered this, he suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

He has never seen an elderly elf during his time here.

Could it be that Mia is an old woman, centuries older than him?

"You shouldn't ask this question! How can you not know?" she responded with frustration.

"Sorry," Owen apologized.

"Maybe it has something to do with elven culture?" he mused. As a king, he was unaccustomed to having questions he couldn't ask.

Rachel rolled her eyes and said, "Let's go."

Owen bid farewell to everyone he knew and departed through the north gate.

...

The non-human alliance remained a secretive organization, and Owen had no idea how to locate its headquarters.

However, he had a few ideas.

Rumor had it that the Orange Light Academy had close ties with non-humans, and it was also speculated that the non-human alliance was connected to them.

Thus, he set his course in the direction of the Orange Light Academy.

The continent was vast, and the journey might take months.

...

Owen sat on a stone with his eyes closed, absorbing a 'consolidation' pill.

After a while, he had fully absorbed it and stood up, prepared to resume his flight.

He had to fly to reach the Orange Light Academy; otherwise, even after hundreds of years, he might not cover half the distance.

'Clang, clang, clang!'

"Is that the sound of swords clashing?" Rachel inquired.

"Why does it matter?" Owen was eager to reach the Orange Light Academy quickly.

"Let's check it out," Rachel suggested.

Owen sighed and began moving toward the commotion.

Two groups were locked in combat.

One group comprised humans in armor, while the other consisted of elves with considerably darker skin than the snow elves.

"They're dark elves fighting with humans," Owen explained.

"Is it common for humans and non-humans to battle?" she asked.

"I don't know. It was unheard of in the Robels kingdom, but here, I'm not sure," he replied.

"If the academies dislike non-humans, why haven't they eradicated them?" she inquired with curiosity.

Owen explained, "It's due to the Dyer Treaty signed between us and other continents. We don't exterminate non-humans to the point of extinction in exchange for them not targeting humans in those distant continents where non-humans dominate."

"That's also why humans can marry non-humans, as long as it's not on a large scale and not the result of slavery," he added.

"Aaaa!" a human knight screamed as an arrow struck his leg.

Owen sighed once more and cast the spell 'mass bind.'

This spell functioned like 'bind,' but it affected a group, immobilizing everyone involved in the fight.

"I'll count to five, and anyone who hasn't fled by then will face consequences," Owen announced.

He then deactivated 'mass bind.'

Before he could even count to one, everyone scattered, fleeing from him.

A few injured individuals remained, but he paid them no attention.

"Now, let's continue," Owen said.

Rachel felt somewhat disappointed.

She had expected a noble lady in a carriage who would present them with a mission, which they would then solve, as it often happened in stories.

…

The ninth day of the fourth month in the year 989988

The Orange Light Academy occupied a significantly larger area than the Blue Light Academy, encompassing numerous human and non-human kingdoms that existed solely to serve it.

Owen had already ventured into a non-human territory controlled by the Orange Light Academy.

"I have a feeling something is amiss, Rachel," he confided.

"What, are you referring to these naked individuals?" she retorted.

In this territory, the residents were tree elves, followers of nature who barely covered themselves.

"No, I mean it feels too perfect. I sense that non-humans are experiencing an unusually good life here," he explained, his brow furrowing.

"You mean they should be suffering more?" she questioned.

"Exactly! From what I've heard, the Orange Light enslaved every non-human, utilizing and exhausting them to death. But if you look around, everyone appears content!" he expressed, growing increasingly concerned.

"There's something amiss with the Orange Light Academy!" Owen concluded.

"Don't get yourself into trouble! Even if something is amiss, just ignore it and find a cave..." Rachel suggested.

"I can't be as carefree as you! If something is wrong, and non-humans have taken control, then humans on this continent are in danger!" he argued.

"Humans still have the White Light Academy and the Black Light Academy, so let them handle it," Rachel proposed.

"Something of this magnitude couldn't occur without the Black Light Academy being aware of it! We need to delve deeper!" Owen insisted.

"You're risking your life!" Rachel complained.

He continued moving toward the academy, passing through many human and non-human countries, growing increasingly astonished.

"Non-humans and humans are coexisting too closely! This can't be; there's an agreement between the academies to prevent such proximity!" Owen stated, deeply troubled.

The academies didn't permit so many humans and non-humans to dwell in such close quarters.

If this continued, in less than 1,000 years, every human on this continent would have a significant amount of non-human ancestry.

"What's the big deal? Let everyone get along," Rachel remarked.

"Did you not hear what I said earlier? Non-humans possess the potential for evil. The Blue Light Academy and even the ancient Seven Lights Academy have stated this. It's not a joke," Owen emphasized.

"You seemed fine with that white Roof city and the girl Mia earlier," Rachel pointed out.

"As long as they are mortal and weak, it's acceptable. But this situation is different," he explained.

Soon, he encountered a Rank One human mage who was rapidly flying toward the academy.

Owen cast his spell, enabling him to fly much faster than the other mage.

Although they were both using a Rank One spell, Owen's use of Rank Two mana significantly enhanced its power.

The human mage noticed Owen's approach and altered his course toward the city.

"Fireball," Owen cast his spell, sending a massive fireball hurtling toward the mage.

To his surprise, the mage resisted the attack.

"He has a magic treasure!" Owen's expression darkened.

A magic treasure like that was at least Rank 2, and without a single Rank Two spell, this would be a challenging fight.

Soon, several other Rank One official mages took flight from the city.

"It's time to flee!" Owen began using Rank Two mana intensely, sprinting toward isolated forests at maximum speed.

The mages pursued him, but they couldn't keep pace with his rapid flight.

After a full day of flying deep into the forests, he finally came to a halt.

"They've lost track of me," Owen said.

"Just continue to run," Rachel advised.

"It's time to return to the Blue Light Academy. With this information, they may provide me with some Rank Two spells," Owen concluded.

Suddenly, a massive fireball took him by surprise.

"Water shield!" he shouted.

The water shield resisted for a moment before shattering.

"It's a Rank Two mage! Damn it!" Owen exclaimed.

"No, wait! What is this overwhelming dark energy? It's a Rank Two demon!" he cried out.

"Lightning," he cast his Rank One lightning spell, but it was easily blocked by the Rank Two spell of his opponent.

The demon then brandished a grotesque red sword, resembling chewed flesh with a long bone at its core.

"It's a cursed object!" Owen exerted all his energy to fly and escape.

However, the demon extended a wing and flew with incredible speed, thrusting the sword directly into Owen's heart.

"Ah!" he screamed in agony, his vision fading to black.

He died!

Before his demise, he heard Rachel's voice screaming, "I told you!"

The cursed weapon devoured all his flesh and blood, leaving only bones behind.

All the blood and flesh were absorbed by the demon, who appeared satisfied.

The demon then noticed Owen's possessions and saw the pill container, which it found appealing as a Rank 2 magical artifact.

The demon stashed it in its pocket and prepared to depart when suddenly, it vomited blood like a fountain.

"Poison?" it exclaimed.

The demon attempted every method at its disposal to combat the poison but to no avail.

"Why is there Rank Four poison in this human's flesh?" were the demon's final thoughts before it perished, consumed by confusion and regret.

Rachel, observing from within the pill container, was utterly speechless.

"What just happened? Did I become ownerless?" She glanced around and saw trees stretching as far as her eyes could see.