The blade had aimed straight for Evenon’s throat. Unshaken by the collision, Rylan pulled the blade back and grabbed the hilt with both hands. Evenon had no time to think about how the boy was moving so quickly or about the power behind the thrust.

A slash fell upon his Shield as the well-honed edge dragged itself across it, seeking to pierce through it. The room’s guards shot Magic Missiles at Rylan, who effortlessly dodged them as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Once again, he closed the distance between Evenon and himself, delivering an overhead slash. As it crashed against the Shield and failed to overcome it, Evenon willed the Shield to disappear. He emitted his mana in a flood without exact form or even structure, consisting of nothing but a wave of raw mana. However, it was still the most effective method to push Rylan away from him.

Evenon openly laughed as Rylan slid backward, trying to steady his footing as the wave of green mana crashed against him. Even though this made him move closer to the guards, they still failed to land a single Magic Missile. Rylan jumped backward, clearly using the wave’s power, and spun. The blade reached the guards’ thighs, slicing through their skin and muscle in a burst of crimson. The two guards fell to the ground with yelps. Rylan’s spinning figure stopped in the right position to lunge forward at Evenon again. Evenon smiled at the display of skill from the person he had least expected. He kept up the wave of mana, effectively hindering Rylan’s movements.

Who is that?

The look in Rylan’s eyes was different from any the boy had shown in the five years they had known each other. Steeled conviction was tempered by frightening calmness, even though killing intent virtually leaked out of them. They scanned the entire room periodically, grasping the whole environment in a flash. Evenon marveled at that. This wasn’t the Rylan Flameheart he had gotten to know so well. Had Rylan always kept his prowess hidden? No, it was impossible. Evenon knew exactly how the boy had chosen to spend his time. This was an incomprehensible situation.

Rylan raised his body and looked at Evenon, who was still standing behind the desk. During this deadlock, Evenon spoke.

“Do you really want to find out who can kill the other faster?”

Rylan scoffed.

“You’re the one who turned the situation into this. You threatened me first. Don’t pull that bullshit.”

Evenon shrugged.

“Walk away, Rylan. If you’re even the Rylan I know. I offered you an agreement.”

At this point, he was confident that Rylan was the snitch. There was no confirmation, but given the way Rylan had reacted, he was sure of it. There was only a single problem. Rylan had revealed a new side that he wasn’t familiar with; he showed that he was far deeper than even Evenon thought. Evenon distinctly remembered the speed at which Rylan’s thrust had almost reached him. If he hadn’t been moving his mana and watching the sword, he would have died a dog’s death. He eyed the blade.

That’s a problem.

He didn’t know how powerful Rylan truly was. It put him on edge. While it made him feel alive for the first time in quite some time, it also meant that it was life-threatening. He didn’t understand why or how Rylan was able to display such prowess with a sword, but it didn’t matter. This was the reality. Since Rylan hadn’t used magic, he couldn’t determine how much weaker or stronger than him the boy was. It meant that it was unknown just how high the risk of him dying was.

He was faced with a choice. Should he let things end here and allow Rylan to leave, or should they fight to the death right here, right now? Thoughts raced through his mind as Evenon considered his options. Rylan's power was an unknown variable that he never thought existed. Evenon narrowed his eyes.

It was unlikely that Rylan was more powerful than him, but if a big fight broke out in the middle of the town, it was only a matter of time for the Vaard family to arrive. Even worse, Gerard Flameheart would come as well. Could he kill Rylan before more people arrived, then escape and avoid facing the consequences? No, it was impossible.

We’re in the heart of town. Fighting here would fuck me over.

The best alternative was to try and kill Rylan outside of Cantavega. Even if he let the boy go now, the City Guard wouldn't raid this place without evidence. As such, he came up with a way to safely try and defuse the situation, at least until he became ready to fight and kill Rylan.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Don’t you want to find out how this develops?” Evenon said with a grin.

“What are you talking about?” Rylan replied, frowning.

“I’m willing to end this here and honor the agreement. Bring me information about who talked and I’ll give you the staff in exchange. However,” Evenon smiled. “For the sin of raising your weapon against me, I’ll kill you. It’s up to you if you’ll die before getting the staff back.”

Rylan scoffed.

“And I’m supposed to just go ahead and leave? When you’ve already said you’ll kill me?”

He lowered his center of gravity. Noticing that the boy was about to lunge at him, Evenon gathered his mana. Another crack appeared in the ring. His mana surged, making Rylan frown.

Evenon kept up the mana flood that constantly pushed Rylan away from him. Rylan stared at him for a few seconds. Evenon half-expected the sword to come flying for his neck again, but that moment never came.

“Goodbye, Evenon. You’ll die by my hand,” Rylan said slowly.

“Go ahead and try.”

Rylan backed off, walking out of the room and shutting the door, never facing away from Evenon. The moment the door closed, he could perceive Rylan’s mana signature moving away far faster than he had predicted, even though he thought he already understood how fast Rylan was. He slightly frowned. In a head-on battle, he didn’t think he was capable of casting faster than Rylan could move. Ending things here had been a good decision. He had just bought himself more time to prepare. He looked at the guards on the ground as they moaned in pain. He felt nothing when faced with their pain.

He looked at the cracked ring on his right ring finger. His thumb rubbed it slowly.

He doesn’t know how powerful I am, either.

Finally, he looked at the white staff. He had no reason to honor what he had said to Rylan. He could get rid of the staff, send it away, or sell it. At the very least, he could have the staff sent to another city, allowing it to remain in his possession, even if far away. But, he hesitated. It was still his greatest treasure and an object of great value. Could he really be sure that whoever was tasked with transporting or guarding the staff wouldn’t take it and run away?

No.

Ironically, the staff would be safest next to him, even though Rylan wanted it. He was the only one who could truly protect the weapon. With a deep breath, he gathered his mana back into his body. It returned to his Circles and revolved peacefully around his Mana Core.

Only the pained moans of the guards resounded in the room.

***

Rylan walked out of the building, stretching his arms. The Mages guarding it looked at him. Had they noticed the small fight that took place in Evenon’s room? It didn’t matter. He started walking towards the Flameheart estate. His thoughts turned to what had just happened.

That could have been a problem.

There were three Mages in a medium-sized room, including Evenon. His limited perception could tell that each of them had more mana than himself, especially Evenon. That had been proven true the moment the battle broke out. He hadn’t been able to pierce Evenon’s Magic Shield, even after repeated attacks. He frowned. They had been in an enclosed room, which should have given him the advantage, but Evenon had still been able to raise a Shield before Rylan’s blade reached him. He should have used the Falling Snow Steps, but there was no point in thinking about what had already happened.

He thought about the moment when Evenon’s mana had surged. He hadn’t missed the fact that the plain black ring on Evenon’s right hand had cracked. Had it been a coincidence? Or was it an artifact of some kind? Truthfully, there was no way to know if the ring’s cracking had been the cause or consequence of the mana surge.

I should prepare as if it can suppress his power somehow.

It would be best to assume that Evenon was far more powerful than he initially thought. He had bought himself a couple more weeks. It was unlikely that Evenon would sell the staff or move it away somehow. The man was too attached to the weapon. Not to mention, should a fight break out, it was the best staff he would have access to. It was too useful not to be used, but that only meant that Rylan wouldn’t need to go looking for it later. If Evenon used the staff, he would become even more dangerous.

During these two weeks, he would continue training with Gerard and with the soldiers, improving his abilities. He was aware that Gerard was now unlikely to disown him even if he couldn’t get the staff back, because of his explanation of his secret. However, it was a matter of fixing his mistakes. He would start with the staff, then slowly put his life back together.

Rylan decided to ask the City Guard for their support to ensure the staff didn’t get out of the city. Given the value of the information he’d given them, they would likely agree. It was a safety measure.

Evenon already knows I’m the one who talked.

The two-week window was beneficial to both of them. He could only hope that he would improve beyond whatever Evenon would prepare for. The City Guard would continue to hound Evenon, not letting him escape through their net. Even if Evenon tried to leave Cantavega, they could interrupt the process by arguing that no one was to move to another city, as they were still trying to catch a notorious criminal. The fact that Evenon himself was their greatest suspect fueled this. Still, Rylan was certain that Evenon wouldn’t retreat. He wasn’t like that.

I just need the staff, but at this point…

He should start preparing to kill Evenon. Next time, he would open with a Sword Art.