Kenny Village.

The night was cool as water, and starlight sprinkled across the land.

Omono had settled into a room at the Spark Inn. Due to Barok's excessive blood loss earlier, although the healing spell had closed his wounds, recovering from the blood loss would take much longer. As a result, Barok had gone to rest early. Omono, having received news that Guild Leader Angla was already on the way, also planned to take a good rest in Kenny Village.

However, due to the series of major incidents recently, Omono, though lying in bed, could not sleep. Instead, he closed his eyes and contemplated the information he had gathered. After all, as the head of intelligence, piecing together enough information from a chaotic array of details and analyzing the situation was something he was very familiar with.

He kept pondering whether Barok's encounter with the legendary figure and the dragon was a deliberate act by the other party. Moreover, the two dragons had suddenly appeared at Ash Town, near the kingdom's fire magic stone veins, and shortly after, the volcano erupted. Omono was 100% certain that the dragons’ arrival and the eruption were closely related.

The most crucial question was: Why did the mysterious mage abduct Barok, hurt him, and then not kill him? Omono didn't think it was out of kindness. Judging by the mage's methods, it was clear that he had little regard for the kingdom's laws and human life. However, there was one possible reason: Could it be because Barok was a member of the royal family that the mage spared him?

And why did the two dragons go to Ash Town? Was it for the magic stone vein? After all, such a large vein would be a feast for a black dragon.

But what was strange was that dragons rarely appeared in front of people. As an elder-level mage, Omono was privy to some of the highest secrets of the Mage Guild. It was said that the Mage Guild and the dragon race had fought a great war long ago, after which the two sides made a pact, agreeing not to appear in each other's territories. Moreover, dragons generally lived in remote areas, even at the edges of the continent. There were rumors that after the war, the dragon race agreed to help the Mage Guild guard the borders of the Oran Continent, preventing the dark elves and magical beasts from the Kahal Continent from crossing the boundary to disturb humans. In fact, according to the kingdom's history, both the dark elves and the magical beasts only existed in ancient legends—no one had ever truly seen them.

But these documents had been passed down through the generations, making it hard not to believe.

Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Omono found it impossible to sleep. He tossed and turned in bed, feeling restless, so he decided to get up and take a walk in the inn's backyard.

Suddenly, a magical ripple filled the air. A wave of sleepiness hit him, and he instantly realized it was a "Sleep Spell." Quickly, he muttered the incantation for "Purification," and immediately regained full alertness.

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"Who's there?" He swiftly turned and grabbed his mage robe.

"Swift Steps!" He dashed out of the inn, running toward the source of the magical disturbance.

Floating in the night sky was a mage. Under the bright moonlight, Elder Omono saw that the mage was dressed in a black robe, his hat almost completely obscuring his face, making it impossible to see clearly.

"Oh?" The mage's voice was deep and slightly hoarse. "Someone actually resisted my Sleep Spell. Looks like a high-level mage?"

"Who are you?" Omono shouted in alarm. He could sense that this person was far more powerful than he was—the mysterious mage he had been hearing about. Though Omono didn't know this mage’s intentions, he strongly suspected that he was an enemy. After all, just now, Omono had discreetly cast a "Detection Spell" and found that the mysterious mage had used a "Mass Sleep Spell" that covered nearly the entire village of Kenny. Other than Omono, who had resisted the spell, everyone else—who was likely already asleep—had fallen into an even deeper slumber, unable to fight it.

"Who I am is of no importance," the mysterious mage said with a faint smile. But Omono felt a deep sense of fear because he realized he could no longer move.

A thousand thoughts raced through Omono’s mind: "He's still floating in the air, maintaining the Sleep Spell, but how did he restrain me?"

"Of course, it's 'Binding Magic,'” the mage said, as if he had read Omono's mind. "Yes, I also used 'Telepathy.' Magic is quite fun, isn't it?"

Omono knew he had no means of resistance, so he resigned himself. The fact that the mage hadn't killed him immediately but instead immobilized him and read his thoughts meant there might still be a chance to negotiate. Calmly, he asked, "I am Omono, an elder of the Mage Guild in the Kingdom of Inpal. May I ask who you are?"

"You may not be qualified to know who I am yet."

"Then what business do you have here?"

"That bard, Barok. Is he in his room?"

"So you're here for him. Yes, he's resting in his room."

"So, it was you who saved him, then?"

"Yes. May I ask why you took Barok?"

"In light of your politeness, I'll answer you. It's none of your concern—don't get involved," the mage replied with impeccable manners but in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Do you know he’s a member of the royal family?"

As they spoke, the mysterious mage had already cast "Levitation" and pulled the sleeping, hypnotized Barok out through the window of his room. Omono had no choice but to warn him.

"Yes, I know. He's from the Hunt family, right?" The mage was indifferent. "Don't worry, I won't kill him. I just have a few questions to ask. Once I'm done, I'll return him."

Omono watched helplessly as Barok was bound and floated in midair. There was nothing he could do. "I hope you will keep your word. He is, after all, a member of the royal family, and the Mage Guild will not stand idly by."

"Don't worry, you can come after me if you want—even issue a 'Mage Guild Red Alert'." The mage waved dismissively, sounding a bit impatient. "Alright, I'm leaving. The Binding Magic will wear off soon, and you can follow if you wish. But... if you come after me, I will kill you." His final words were spoken slowly, almost menacingly, making Omono believe he wasn't just making idle threats.

Then, with a swoosh, the mysterious mage flew off into the distance with Barok, the lingering magical ripples marking their departure...

"He's too powerful..." Omono was still unable to move but felt a deep bitterness in his heart. He knew that such magical prowess was far beyond that of an elder or even a vice president. He even had the feeling that not even Angla, hailed as the most talented mage in a century, could be this mage's match.

(To be continued)