“Jared, Mr. Dennis from the Mage Association is here.”
That evening, the day Duke Alway returned, they had received a letter stating that someone from the Mage Association wished to visit.
They said there was an important matter that required a report, but Olivier hesitated about whether it was appropriate to invite someone from the Mage Association to her mansion.
She had thought that at worst, she could ask her grandfather to have them over, but surprisingly, Olivier accepted the visit from the Mage Association.
Apparently, her father, the Duke, had previously notified both the Adventurer’s Guild and the Mage Association to refuse all requests related to Cornelia Alway, so she wanted to express her gratitude.
With no reason to refuse, she promptly sent a reply stating she would be waiting. And on the following day, today, Dennis Beckman, who was Jared’s contact, appeared.
“It has been a while, Mr. Murphy. And it is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Olivier Alway. I am Dennis Beckman, an employee of the Mage Association, and I have been assigned as Jared Murphy’s contact,” Dennis said, bowing deeply to Olivier. However, his complexion was poor, despite seeing him after a long time. Olivier, who was present, looked surprised.
“Thank you for your courtesy. I am Olivier Alway, Jared Murphy’s fiancée. Please take care of us,” Olivier said with a smile to Dennis, who looked clearly unwell. She gave him a meaningful glance. It felt like she was telling him to handle the situation.
“I apologize for suddenly asking you to join us. However, I wanted to apologize for the unreasonable demands my father made to the Mage Association, and express my gratitude,” Olivier explained.
“No, please don’t worry about it. For us at the Association, accepting requests from Cornelia would have only been a disadvantage. She was more aligned with the Adventurer’s Guild, so we didn’t have any requests from her to begin with. Therefore, Olivier, you have no need to concern yourself with us.”
“I am relieved to hear you say that,” Olivier replied, giving a small bow. Dennis returned the gesture. At that moment, Trane appeared with tea, served it, and then left with a bow.
“The reason I have visited your mansion today is also to directly inform you that we, the Mage Association, promise to accept no requests whatsoever regarding Cornelia Alway.”
“Thank you again,” Olivier said.
“As an Association, we wish to build a good relationship with you, Mr. Murphy, and your fiancée Olivier. Duke Alway is someone who stands with us, so we have no reason to refuse this matter,” Dennis continued.
Jared, along with Olivier, breathed a sigh of relief that the Mage Association was not siding with Cornelia. Unlike the Adventurer’s Guild, where individuals could act independently, if the tightly-knit Mage Association had sided with Cornelia, she would have been a formidable obstacle. However, that was not the case. If Dennis’s words were to be believed, with Duke Alway on good terms with the Association and their desire to maintain a good relationship with Jared, a Court Mage Candidate, there was no reason for them to support Cornelia. After all, the Mage Association was an organization for mages. Cornelia was not a mage, nor did anyone in her bloodline possess magical abilities. Therefore, the Mage Association had no reason to protect her or take on risky requests. Whether the Adventurer’s Guild had been accepting them, or adventurers were directly taking them without official guild involvement, ordinary people would not accept requests to harm the Duchess. Such requests would typically come from shadowy organizations like Waalthe, or from adventurers hired to perform such acts without considering the risks. However, with the Duke’s directive, the Adventurer’s Guild would also cease to accept such requests from now on. Previously, they could avoid accountability by operating in secret or using disposable adventurers, but that would not be the case anymore. If an adventurer were to accept Cornelia’s request unilaterally, the Duke would undoubtedly declare total war on the Adventurer’s Guild itself. Making an enemy of the Ducal Family was too great a disadvantage. Unless they were complete fools, they would likely behave themselves from now on.
“I would also like to express my gratitude. I didn’t want Hannelore and Olivier to be in danger any longer. Thank you,” Jared said, bowing as well after Olivier. Dennis hurriedly told him to raise his head. Once the discussion concerning Cornelia concluded, they took a sip of their tea to pause. Dennis, drinking his tea, still looked pale. Although his tone remained the same, he seemed to lack energy. Jared couldn’t deny that he was concerned about Dennis’s appearance. His face was sallow, his eyes were dark with what appeared to be sleepless nights. Despite his neat appearance, his unwellness was even more apparent.
“Um…”
“Yes… What is it?”
“If you’re not feeling well, perhaps we could reschedule? I could come to your place if that’s better.”
“No, thank you for your concern. I apologize, but I’ve been incredibly busy lately. This time, Mr. Murphy, there are two matters I need to discuss with you regarding Cornelia Alway, and one other issue. Both are troublesome problems that the Mage Association is currently facing.”
“And those would be?”
“Do you remember? I mentioned before that there are other Court Mage Candidates besides yourself.”
“Of course, I remember.”
Jared had been informed previously that there were three Court Mage Candidates, including himself. There had also been discussions about the possibility of increased candidates with connections to other countries, and the need to be wary of recruitment efforts. If that were the case, then Dennis’s current state of exhaustion might be due to a spy infiltrating the Court Mage Candidates ranks, or someone being poached by another country. Honestly, Jared had almost forgotten about the Court Mage Candidates. His daily life had changed so drastically recently that he hadn’t had the time to think about it.
“Could it be related to the Court Mage Candidates?”
“It is. Because of that, the Magician’s Guild and the Royal Palace wanted to announce new Court Mage Candidates, but we are overwhelmed due to an unforeseen event.”
“Did the number of Court Mage Candidates from other countries increase?”
“It did. This individual might have been a spy from another country, but due to a recommendation from a certain noble, we couldn’t refuse. And their talent alone was exceptional…”
Then, he would have to be wary of this person. While he didn’t want to get entangled in national affairs, as his fiancée was a young lady from a ducal family, Jared knew that he would inevitably become involved in matters concerning the country sooner or later, especially in the event of war, where he would be expected to fight.
“However, there is no need to worry. Or, to be precise, there is no longer any need to worry.”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but what do you mean?” Olivier asked, directing her question to the hesitant Dennis. He then spoke with a noticeable tension in his voice.
“I apologize. I can’t quite believe what is currently happening myself, which is why I couldn’t explain clearly. In fact, two of the Court Mage Candidates, excluding yourself Mr. Jared, and one new Court Mage Candidate recruited from another country, are no longer with us.”
“No longer with us?”
“Yes. All of the Court Mage Candidates, other than yourself Mr. Jared—have been murdered.”
“—Wha—”
“…No way.”
The unexpected event revealed by Dennis left not only Jared, but also Olivier, speechless.
