“So you awakened as a mage when you got caught up in that dungeon, right?” Lysander inquired as they descended the tunnel. This time, no one came to stop them. “Why did you decide to hide it?”

Zeke's focus remained on the path before him, the sound of footsteps and the Arcane Resonance's pole tapping against the ground filled in the silence between them. Telling the truth from the start may have sounded like a simple task. Although he and Circe gave the excuse that there wasn't any benefit in speaking about them, deep down, Zeke felt something else holding him back; an emotion he couldn't pinpoint…until now.

“I was scared,” Zeke concluded after going back to that point in time. “I was scared,” and he repeated it outloud for Lysander to hear. Since he remained silent, Zeke took it as a sign for him to continue. “I just blurted out whatever I could think of at the time, so people thought that the staff we took from the dungeon was Ruelle's, and I'm the swordsman who protected his fiancee like a true knight.”

A moment of silence filled in between them, but Zeke soon broke it as he spoke again, “Father was probably ecstatic to know that his good-for-nothing son finally did something to meet his expectations,” Zeke sneered. He couldn't stop talking, “I was afraid that if I came clean about what actually happened…he would be disappointed in me again.”

“...Silas—”

Zeke crooked his head just enough for him to make eye contact with Lysander. As they both stopped walking, a smile formed on Zeke's lips when he saw the look on the brother's face. “I'm done with all that, you know? I had never been good at swordsmanship anyway, but this entire family revolves around it. For someone as strict as our father…would he even accept that his son became a mage instead?”

Lysander bit his lips, brows slightly arched downwards, “It's not like you're any ordinary mage, Silas. You've actually got talent for it. If you talk to Father properly then I'm sure—”

“Lysander.” Zeke cut him off, his smile growing wider, “When the time comes, I will deal with it. But for now…I'm too much of a coward to tell him the truth,” he shifted his head to the front and started walking, “...He was so happy…I know it's stupid, but I couldn't even bring myself to think about correcting him after seeing how satisfied he was.”

No one said another word as they marched down the tunnel, eventually coming face to face with a wooden door.

Lysander raised his sword to strike down the plank bolting it shut, but Zeke stopped him by blocking his path with his staff. “Wait,” he stepped forward to inspect the door, eyes narrowed to a slit, “Isn't it suspicious? Why isn't there a single guard here?”

“...I don't sense anyone nearby,” Lysander remarked, though had yet to sheath his sword, “And I'm not hearing movement behind the door either.”

“Yeah. Right.” Zeke traced his eyes along the door, prompting Lysander to do the same even though he couldn't see anything peculiar about it. “This thing's rigged with so many spells. They tried to hide it but the concealment circle is rough work.”

“...” Lysander stared at his brother with a blank look. Zeke didn't look at him as he continued to fixate on the magic. “Can you dispel it?”

“Eh, I could try,” Zeke shrugged, “Though if I fail…the circuit might explode in our faces. You don't mind that, right?”

Despite hearing the seriousness in his tone, Lysander narrowed his eyes at him, “...Is that a joke?”

“Second part? Yeah,” Zeke placed his hand on the door, pouring his mana from the tip of his fingers. To Lysander, all he could see was an ordinary, old wooden door. “First part? No. This is a delicate job so don't disturb me.”

With Lysander making the reasonable decision to stay quiet, Zeke focused entirely on the task at hand. Only the voices of his own thoughts accompanied him as he felt around the magic circle with his mana.

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“According to the Witch's Codex, magic circles are formed from strings of words,” Suddenly, the rings of light became visible for all to see, and he could hear Lysander's faint gasp behind him. “Cutting off the sentences unravels the spell…though I still have to be careful…interrupting the wrong lines can give unpredictable results.”

[Achievement Unlocked: ‘Magic Lock Picker’ - Disable any type of magical traps!]

[Gained some EXP!]

[You've gained the Active Skill: ‘Circuit Disruption']

[The Tier of the Active Skill ‘Circuit Disruption’ has increased due to the Aptitude ‘Mana Overlord’]

< Skill Description >

Name: Circuit Disruption

Type: Active Skill

Tier: A

Cost: Dependant on usage.

Cooldown: None.

Effects

* The user gains the ability to see and dispel magic circles via the use of mana.

* Accuracy and efficiency of the skill depends on the user's knowledge on magic.

* Casting speed depends on the user’s computing abilities.

<<>>

Not so long after, the circles before him flickered and faded away. As Zeke put away his staff into the inventory, Lysander broke down the wooden plank with his sword. They entered the room and found not a single source of light within, but Zeke's eyes met with a familiar pair of emerald green sitting in the middle of the cave.

“Rowena!” His feet moved without thought, kneeling down in front of the little girl as he inspected her from head to toe. She had no visible injuries, though her dress had some rips and tears, assumed to be from struggling against her captors. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you anywhere?”

Zeke couldn't read Rowena's expression at all, she simply stared up at him and replied in a low, dull voice. “I'm fine.”

Silence fell in the air between them, but soon broke from the girl's hitched cries. Rowena hid her face in her palms as she mumbled between her breaths, “Don't…Don't look at me…Please don't look at me…”

Without saying a word, Zeke carefully pulled Rowena into his arms, and she instantly broke down, screaming into his chest as she held onto his shirt. “It's okay, you're fine now. You're safe.” Zeke patted her back and whispered calmly.

“I'm scared…it's dark and I'm scared…!”

Zeke could only imagine how she must have felt, being forced to sit around in total darkness hoping someone would come rescue her soon. “I'll fucking kill them,” Zeke gritted his teeth, “They don't deserve to live. How can they do this to a little kid?”

“Okay, let's get you out of here.” He spoke in a reassuring tone.

As Zeke pulled Rowena up to her feet, everything suddenly began shaking. A thunderous explosion sounded from outside, and he instinctively put up a magic barrier just in time to prevent the pieces of the ceiling from hitting any of them. “Lysander! Get moving!”

“Don't need to tell me that!” They all rushed back into the tunnel, following the path they once tread.

The moment they emerged back into the opened cavern, chunks of rocks fell on top of the entrance, sealing it closed. Zeke let out a relieved sigh as he sat down on the ground, disabling the shield in the process, “Hey, what about that mage guy we tied up earlier?” He asked while they all tried to catch their breaths.

Lysander's brows furrowed as he glanced at him, “...You're right. I didn't notice anyone on our way out,” he took a deep breath and straightened himself, having recovered in a near instant. “You tied him up with those…mana threads, right? Maybe he broke out since it wasn't strong enough.”

“No way,” Zeke scoffed at his words, “Those threads on their own can hold back boss monsters, and I made sure to use a strengthening spell on them just in case.”

Lysander took a moment to respond, “...Whatever happened,” he turned towards the exit path, “We don't have the time to think about that right now. We've got company.”

Zeke placed himself in front of Rowena as his eyes landed on a group of four men emerging from the tunnel. Lysander held out his sword in defense as one of them took a step forward. A black robe concealed his expression, though unlike the mage they'd faced earlier, this person held himself with intimidating grace.

“Lysander, that guy's a strong mage too.” Zeke warned in a low voice, though the echoey cavern walls allowed him no privacy.

“...Stronger than you are?” Lysander raised an eyebrow, his tone dead-serious.

Hearing that, Zeke rolled his eyes and snorted, “Depends. But I am confident. Since you're here with me.”

Zeke put on the Scholar's Cloak and summoned the Witch's Codex, letting it hover a few inches above his hand. The rest of the men revealed themselves as swordsmen when they unsheathed their blades. Seeing the opponents take on an aggressive stance, Lysander unleashed his aura. His signature electric blue light coated around the sword.

“I'll support you, Lysander.” As he spoke, Zeke used his skill and stepped back, edging Rowena along with him, “Trust me and go wild.”

Lysander looked down at himself, seeing a cool, green light enveloped his form on top of his aura. He clenched and unclenched his fist, a satisfied smile rose to his lips. “My body suddenly feels lighter…”

The quiet mage slightly moved his chin, and one of the swordsmen rushed at Lysander, blade drawn back and aimed towards his neck. Despite his opponent’s swift footwork, Lysander was faster. He sidestepped the attack and retaliated with a horizontal strike.

The man guarded, only to find his sword shattering like glass upon contact, and the blade continued forward until it cut through his abdomen. Blood gushed out like a leaked dam, and in mere moments, only Lysander remained standing.

“Choose wisely!” He pointed his sword at the remaining men, “All of you shall pay for your crimes! Surrender, or die!”