"….I did not see this coming."

"Really? What made you realize? Is it the fact that your guide just up and left? Or maybe the fact that you are surrounded by fifty bounty hunters that specialize in dealing with Celtic mages?"

"Emma, you are not helping-"

"Shut up, Michael. I don't want to hear it. Focus on finding a way out of there."

I winced as I heard the sound of something shattering over the radio network through my earpiece.

Yeah, she is going to be insufferable for the next week after this. I might even end up on the couch for the foreseeable future.

"Give up, Hurley. You are surrounded. Just come out and make this easy for all of us."

"Yeah, right. If you are so sure, why not come in here yourselves?"

The silence that I got was not good news for me.

Because it told me that they were not just random magic users looking for a quick buck. No, these were trained mages who knew exactly where they were and what to avoid.

Knowing that the bounty hunters would not just storm into the ruins and make my job easy by pissing off the deities of this place coming in without invitation, I sat down and started the ritual that I would need to counterattack.

Thankfully, I had the foresight to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

I started rummaging through my back and took out various containers that had Isa runes engraved on them to preserve their contents.

With a crude circle drawn with the Aztec language, I began the ritual.

I opened the first box and took out a human heart. Placing it in the circle, I proclaimed my pledge.

"Here, I sacrifice the heart, to the great god of Sun and War, Huitzilopochtli. I ask for your divine blessing be upon this lowly one and protect me from my enemies."

I opened the next box, and took out another human heart, along with a Jade carved with the symbol for rain in the Aztec culture and a stalk of Sweet-scented Marigold.

"Here, I sacrifice the heart, the representative of the sea, and the Cempohualxochitl, to the great god of Rain, Water, and Fertility, Tlaloc. I ask for your divine grace upon this lowly one and protect me from the wrath of the Earth."

I opened the third box and took out yet another human heart.

"Here, I sacrifice the heart, to the great god of wind, Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl. I ask for your divine grace upon this lowly one and provide me with the breath of life."

Now, time for the finale. Opening the fourth and final box, I took out another heart, another Jade but this time, carved with the symbols of rain, sun, and the wind, and three stalks of Sweet-scented marigold.

"Here, I sacrifice the heart, the representative of the Sun, the Sea and the Sky, and the Cempohualxochitl, to the great gods of the Sun, the Rain and the Wind. I ask for your permission to protect myself against my enemies."

It was not something grandiose, and yet, I felt the subtle shift in the mana as I uttered my words. And I knew that I had succeeded.

And yet, I felt no elation. By doing what I had done, I have become the same kind of monster that I claim to fight against. Blood sacrifice and human sacrifice are the arts that are used by the Demon Cult from my home world, and yet, there are gods in this world that would rely upon such a method. Granted, the hearts were taken from people who were already dead and were organ donors whose body parts were deemed unusable for transplants, but still, it's not something that I like doing.

Still, I have no choice at this moment. If I were to use foreign magics in a place that belongs to Divinity, even if said divinity is a fallen one such as the Aztecs, there is no doubt that I would incur the wrath of the Aztec gods and end up with a curse that cannot be removed by anyone but another divinity.

That is why, I have no choice but to do this.

Closing the empty boxes and packing them back into my bag, I got to my feet, just in time for a flood of mana to fill the underground ruins. Mana, that was filled with Divinity.

"What's going on-No! he is escaping! Open fire!!"

The sound of rifle fire rang out in the ruins, and yet, they were too late.

The divine mana concentrated and took the form of a massive Turquoise serpent with its back on fire. It wasted no time and started attacking the bounty hunters who abandoned their weapons and started using their magic.

And yet, in using foreign magics inside sacred grounds, which were located under the ruins of the most ancient temple dedicated to the Aztec gods, the Templo Mayor of the Tenochtitlan, incurred the wrath of the Aztec gods that had received their first true offerings in centuries.

The Serpent's rampage grew in strength as it started to spew fire out of its mouth. At the same time, the air within the underground ruins started to thin dramatically, causing everyone to start choking, everyone except for me.

Then, one of the walls within the cave burst open and water started to rush in.

Through all of this, the fire, the air, and the water refused to touch or harm me in any way, allowing me to continue my work in peace.

It only took me a minute to set up a teleporting formation using the Celtic Runes and even little time to activate it.

But I cannot leave just yet, not without showing some gratitude to the gods.

And what better way to show gratitude than giving my enemies to the gods?

Getting to the center of the Aztec circle I drew before, I kneeled once again and proclaimed with mana in my voice, just like before when I was performing the sacrifice.

"This Lowly one is grateful to the Gods for their divine blessing. I hereby proclaim that I sacrifice my enemies in your name, may their hearts and souls provide you with great joy."

Perhaps, the Gods were being generous, or perhaps, they were starved with having no proper worship and sacrifice in centuries, I do not know the truth. What is true, however, is the massacre that started right after I finished speaking.

The divine serpent wasted no time In picking up the humans, one after another, and impaling them upon the spike upon its body, directly through their heart, as their blood started to coat its turquoise scales.

Not wishing to see the fate of these people, I stepped through the teleportation circle and arrived back at my home at the New World Arcanum.

And what I saw on the other side made me wish to go back into that mess I just left behind, almost.

The beautiful blond hair was tied in a bun and her blue eyes bore into my own with barely concealed fury and concern. Her tapping foot told me that I was in for a world of hurt if I did not give her an adequate answer for my latest mistake.

With a wry smile, I spoke.

"Perhaps, we should talk about this over dinner? At that fancy restaurant, you were talking about a few days ago."

"…..Fine. But you are paying."

"Excellent!"

----------------------------------------

"How is he doing?"

"His talent is quite remarkable. While not on the level of the prince, I would still say that he is progressing at a very rapid pace. It's a pity that he waited until now to start training, limiting his future growth."

Duke Aelric Terron nodded at the words of his most trusted knight and dismissed him before turning to the only other person in the room.

"What do you think brought this sudden change in him?"

"I do not know, my lord."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Aelric raised an eyebrow at the clear lie from one of his subordinates.

"Do not lie, Leyla. I learned from the other servants and knights that he ran out of his room in terror a day before he set off from the territory. Does it have anything to do with his sudden change?"

"If you already know that much, there is no point in asking me for any more information."

"Do not forget that you are talking to your master."

If Cedric was here, he would have been shocked to see the always smiling and joyful maid of his with such a cold look on her face.

"You may be the one taking care of me, my lord. But please do not forget that my only master was Lady Elysia, and after her passing, Lord Cael and Lord Cedric. Now, only the young master remains. Even if you are the Duke, your authority only comes after my young master when my loyalty is concerned."

Duke Terron sported an equally cold look as his Earth elemental Aura flared around him, causing the very ground to shake, showing his prowess as a 3-star Aura Master.

And yet, the civilian maid in front of him did not change her cold gaze despite being forced to her knees due to the pressure.

In the end, the Duke stopped exerting his Aura on the girl and allowed her to rise to her feet.

"…Do as you have always done, Leyla. But before you go, tell me something."

"Yes, my lord."

"Was I wrong?"

"If you are asking about last night's incident, then I believe you could have explained the situation more clearly to the young master instead of just ordering him."

"Do you think he would have understood?"

"With the way he is changing? Yes."

"..I see. You may leave."

"If I may, I think you should take some time to sit down with the Young Master and talk things out, clear your problems, especially since you have very limited time right now."

For the first time, Aelric allowed his saddened expression to show on his face.

"I think the time to talk has long since passed. I will be satisfied knowing that Cedric has finally started to act his station and will not bring ruin to the family in my absence."

"…And you wonder if Young Master did not inherit anything from you when his stubborn nature is quite clearly inherited from you. Anyways, it is not my place to speak anymore so I shall take my leave."

"Hmm."

As Leyla left the room, Duke Terron took out a scroll and started writing on it.

His son might resent him for what he said a few years ago, but what kind of a father would he be if he did not secure his son's future in case he was not around to look after his son?

In the end, Duke Terron could do nothing but hope that his name still held the same weight as before so that this request of his could go through with his majesty.

----------------------------------------

Making an engraving tool out of a low-grade mana stone and mana-infused wood turned out to be much harder than predicted, who knew?

But giving up is not in my nature, so in the end, I spent the entire night making the damned thing, barely managing to complete it and engraving the runes on Jason's armor and sword.

Of course, the fool had to be in awe at my apparent prowess in 'enchantment' and nearly ran off to tell Father about it. Thankfully, I stopped the fool from leaking the news about my abilities.

Right now, it was not possible to trust anyone within the household with Demon Cultists on the loose. In fact, even without those monsters in the equation, I did not trust anyone in this place aside from Jason, Gael, and Leyla.

Sadly, not even Father. Due to how estranged we have become from each other, I don't even know how he feels about me and how I truly feel about him. I know that he cares for me to some extent, and I don't wish to see him die, but beyond that? I don't know.

That is why, I cannot have the truth about my abilities leaked to anyone that I do not trust.

Now, standing in front of the gates leading out of the Capital city without even having the chance to so much as move around in the city, I looked towards Jason and Gael who came to see me off.

"Remember what we talked about, Jason. And be careful. You know how dangerous the enemy is."

"Of course, Young Master. I will not disappoint you."

"It is not a matter of disappointment, it is a matter of safety. I have done everything in my power, the rest is up to you."

Jason nodded seriously. I knew his character better than anyone, and I knew he was not the type to babble about serious things to just anyone.

That is why I am worried that he might babble about my magical abilities to Gael.

The Knight only knew that I was a 1-star Aura Novice who was close to becoming a 2-star. What he did not know is that I had already surpassed the Novice rank and advanced into a 3-star Aura Adept thanks to combining my Daoist cultivation with the Aura techniques that I learned from him.

If he learned that I knew magic despite being an Aura practitioner, he might immediately inform Father who would start putting more focus on me, causing awkward situations all around for everybody involved.

However, what's done is done. All that's left is to handle the consequences. Something that I would gladly do if it meant I could keep my adopted brother, my knight and my maid alive.

And father too, even if I have no idea how to help him.

With our goodbyes said, I headed towards the carriage and prepared to depart on our journey.

Then, Leyla dropped the bombshell on me.

"Young Master, I just heard from the Lord's messenger that we will encounter the entourage of Young Miss Elara on the way and we are supposed to travel together with her to the Ignire territory."

Damn that old man!! He did this on purpose!

"…Do we know which route they will be taking?"

"Yes. The Aquatia family's group would be traveling through the waterway and arrive directly at the Capital by tonight. Then, they would meet up with us at the crossroads between the Draken family territory and the Ignire territory."

"Then, we will set off immediately and head to the Draken family territory for some time before we head to the Ignire territory. I am interested in seeing their famed blacksmiths at work."

There is no way I am getting involved with that brat if I can help it.

Elara may be my cousin, with her mother and my mother being sisters, but she has always looked down on me since we were children, especially since she showed her talent as a Mage and gained Kingdom-wide recognition as a prodigy.

While I can easily ignore her on normal occasions, there is something that I must take care of at the Western Wall, and I cannot afford that girl finding out about my work and powers.

That girl has no filter between her brain and her mouth and would no doubt expose me to the world, and in turn, cause the Demon Cult to start putting focus on me as a potential threat, just like they do with the rest of the noble children across the Kingdom.

This would mean that I cannot carry out my plan of cleaning up those bastards with a surprise attack.

Leyla held a nervous smile which caused my stomach to drop.

"I am sorry, Young Master, but the master already predicted your actions and ordered the Knights to not deviate from the standard path. As the master of the house, his orders are valued above yours, so we have no choice but to do as he says."

"…Is that so? If he is willing to impose his will upon me despite my refusal, then I shall respond in kind."

"Huh?"

"You will understand when the time comes. Let's go."