Kael hurried home. He thought he was being followed by Magister Kever even if he didn’t feel that someone was following him. He reached his house quick, but before he could enter, someone called him.

“Kael”

It was strange that the person managed to get close to Kael without being noticed. Kael was on his guard, but the voice sounded familiar to him. He felt that he knew who it was. He looked back quick, and confirmed what he thought. It was Magister Lucius, greeting him as soon as he looked back.

“Can we have a talk?”, Magister Lucius requested.

Kael was still baffled, both because he failed to detect the magister, and also because it was the renowned grandmaster mage that wanted to talk to him. Nevertheless, he invited the magister inside the house.

Kael wasn’t prepared to personally talk to two of the academy’s instructors in the same day, but that’s what happened to him. He wished that Lord Lucius wouldn’t talk like how Magister Kever talked to him. He invited the magister to take a seat.

“Thank you for your time”, the magister started. He looked at Kael with such a calm look. Kael didn’t feel any hostility, but he thought that he shouldn’t let his guard down.

“It’s my honor, Magister Lucius”, Kael uttered, wanting to be as respectful as possible.

“You can call me Lucius”

“I’d rather not, Magister Lucius”, Kael replied.

It was a surprising thing to hear from such a notable person. Kael was surprised. He wouldn’t dare to be that casual towards the magister. He couldn’t even do that towards Earl Gideon, and he was with the Earl for years.

“I insist Kael”, Magister Lucius said.

Kael denied the magister, but the magister insisted again. He denied the magister once again, but the magister kept on insisting for minutes. He was confused by the magister’s behavior, trying so hard to get close to him. It was a battle of patience, and after a minute, Kael changed his response.

“Why? I don’t understand Magister Lucius”

Magister Lucius smiled after hearing Kael’s question. Then, all of a sudden, he uttered a magic incantation.

[Barrier]

Kael was startled for a second, but he realized what the magister did. Magister Lucius isolated his house from everything that were outside. Kael wasn’t sure what will happen next, but he was ready. It’s a good thing that he wasn’t in the second phase of Late Cost yet.

“I heard everything. You hid your strength really well”, the magister said. He told everything that he heard, which revealed that he also noticed Kael’s unusual behavior back then. “I do have my suspicions, but I never thought I was right”

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The magister looked delighted while he was talking, but Kael was unsettled by what’s happening. A powerful mage was in front of him, and a famous one at that. To think that he has to deal with Lord Lucius. Kael was starting to get exhausted.

“Magister, I apologize for hiding my strength”, Kael said. He was hoping to finish their conversation, but what he received as a response was a smile. Then, the magister started talking again.

At that point, seeing that the magister will keep on talking, he was starting to think that he could never escape. His goal to eliminate the remaining demons was going farther from him. He felt that even the grandmaster mage will try to bring him to Rezelus. He regretted that he chose the academy as a means to learn about the world.

However, Kael’s thought contradicted what’s true.

While praising Kael, Magister Lucius saw the worry in Kael’s eyes. He was puzzled at first, but he quickly realized what’s happening. Kael thought that the magister will bring him to Rezelus just like what Magister Kever wanted. Magister Lucius knew that he should clarify something. He should have said what was his objective from the start.

“Oh, my apologies Kael,”, Lord Lucius lowered his head. It was a shocking sight to Kael, but also a very confusing one. “I’m not here to convince you to go to Rezelus”

Kael felt the sincerity from the words of the magister, but he still felt that the magister wanted him to go to Rezelus.

“It should be your decision whether you want to or not”, the magister said, then he whispered something that Kael did not notice. “…here”

Kael was unconvinced, but Magister Lucius didn’t give up.

“Let me apologize once again”, the magister lowered his head again. The humble display didn’t help Kael to clear his mind.

“Let me tell you why I’m here. Maybe, if I tell you, you will trust me”, the magister said. He waited for Kael’s reply, but he didn’t receive any, so he went on to explain his objective. “I need your help for something”

Magister Lucius explained his situation. He revealed that he returned to Ucar for a very important reason. However, he was limited by his position and fame. He couldn’t progress as much as he wanted, but the situation changed when he accidentally discovered Kael’s capability.

There was a day in the past that the magister tested the students for their mana capacity. He wanted to make sure that all of the students have at least twenty units of mana before he let the students do actual magic. But he did the test covertly, and as a result, he discovered Kael’s mana capacity.

Magister Lucius was confused. He thought that something went wrong in his assessment, so he decided to test Kael once again. Doing it for a second time, he was astonished to confirm that Kael was indeed equal to a grade C mage. However, he couldn’t make himself to talk to Kael about it. Days passed that he wasn’t able to address the situation, but then, he saw Magister Kever with Kael. He got curious, so he listened in secret. He discovered the horrible possibility. Kael will go to Rezelus if he didn’t do anything.

At that moment, Magister Lucius knew that he should do something. He intervened and that saved Kael. But it was not enough. He should convince Kael to support his objective, and so, he followed Kael to personally talk with his gifted student.

Returning to the present, Kael understood what Magister Lucius said to him. In essence, the magister wanted something that only Kael could do. Kael wanted to help if it could save him from going to Rezelus. He wanted to be hopeful, so he asked the magister.

“Magister, if I help you, will you help me in return?”

Magister Lucius smiled. He was waiting for Kael’s offer. “Even if you fail, I won’t let anyone force you to Rezelus”