“It’s obvious that they would come looking for trouble again if I remained silent and did nothing, so I must do something to stop them. I’ll meet more people, and gather whatever power I can grasp onto.”

[Well, what kind of power are you referring to?]

“. . . Whatever I can.” I smiled bitterly, as I too have no idea what to aim for. I’d gather everything within reach, be it money or power. But what would happen after . . . just thinking about it made my heart palpitate.

“. . . My sweet princess.” I gently hugged Haniel who was fast asleep in her cot. Lightly touching the silver ribbon made me recall that day’s events, sending shivers through my entire body along with a sense of indescribable security.

Seems like this ribbon saved you. Regardless of His Majesty’s motives for gifting this ribbon, it was this that saved Haniel from the evil hands of Lania.

He would be happy if he knew that, sweetie. I wasn’t sure why I had thought that way, but that was what came to my mind.

I felt the same thing when he spoke those words earlier.

“Reina will need a new ribbon soon then.”

* * *

Pressing on a tightly packed bookcase located in a deep corner of Lania’s study revealed a narrow stairway leading to the basement.

After confirming that she was alone, Lania stepped into the dimly lit stairway, which went down for quite a while. One wrong step and she could have tripped and fallen.

It was obvious that she had often gone down to the basement via this route, seeing how calmly she walked down the dark and narrow path.

“Ronin! Calling for me at this hour, are you crazy?!” Lania shouted upon stepping foot into the basement room.

“I wouldn’t have called for you if it wasn’t something urgent, would I?” The latter replied confidently, with a slight tone of sarcasm.

The candles lit up starting from where Ronin stood, soon lighting up the entire room. Intrigued, Lania’s eyebrows cocked upwards but was appalled when she turned around.

“T-this is . . .!” Lania quickly covered her mouth in shock.

“Mmph . . .!” The man struggled fiercely while tied to the chair and yelled with his gagged mouth. However, there was no one else who would take pity on his circumstance.

Intrigued, Lania approached the muffled man and stared at his wrist which was covered by some magical equipment.

“Is he a wizard?” She asked.

“My Lady indeed has a keen eye. Despite his appearance, he’s from the magic tower and is also with the palace. I caught him snooping around like a rat, much unlike his status.” Ronin replied, feeling somewhat proud.

“Mmph-” the muffled man tried to yell once more.

Ronin’s face turned ghastly in an instant. It wasn’t the first time hearing the words ‘Magic Tower’ drove him crazy, Lania clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

“I couldn’t care less about what you do, but how could you kidnap a wizard from the magic tower? Are you in your right mind?” Lania reprimanded.

“My Lady, how can you say that? We’re all in the same boat after all.”

“What if His Majesty saw him? Anyone would know that he had followed His Majesty all the way . . . Ah!”

Ronin smirked, as if he had expected the same thought to have crossed Lania’s mind.

“My Lady, aren’t you curious why His Majesty came here?”

“Of course I am!”

“His Majesty even brought the wizards along secretly on this trip,” Ronin added.

A blue light then emitted from his hand. What looked like cold ice appeared and took the shape of a dagger, which Ronin placed by the man’s mouth and tore his gag.

The man bled in the process. Ronin was careless, making a small cut.

“How could you do this to me when you knew of my identity as a wizard protected by the Magic Tower’s holy magic?!” The man yelled as he spat out the gag.

“Holy magic, huh . . .” Ronin lost his smile. His face turned stiff as it had been a while since he heard those words.

The wizard flinched, “Are— are you perhaps?!”

“Oh, it seems like the great magic tower is still telling my tales then?” Ronin smirked. “So what has the old man told you? That I’m a disgrace for obsessing over forbidden magic? A wizard of misfortune?”

His cackling laughter truly suited the dreary basement. Ronin moved closer to the wizard, genuinely curious of what the wizard was told about him back at the magic tower.

The wizard, seemingly a new blood, shuddered at Ronin’s dark energy.

“Release me immediately! You’re indirectly treating His Majesty and the magic tower with contempt by holding me here! You must know that!” The young wizard yelled.

“What a fool. If I were such a gentleman, I wouldn’t have kidnapped you here, would I?” Ronin laughed.

“Mmph!”

“Tell us. What is His Majesty really here for?” Ronin lost his smile, his face turning gloomy as the fog at dawn.