Legacy of the Dark Sage

Euan's expression turned solemn.

Kyran did not say 'can' but 'will,' implying that Mannick and his men would not stop him, rather than they could not stop him.

Seeing how Mannick did not react to Kyran's words, Euan realized the relationship between the two was not simple.

If such audacious words were uttered before Euan before this day, he would have laughed it off. If not, the Royal Knights would have already made a move and killed Kyran on the spot. But with the current situation, not to mention his Royal Knights were not present, even if he had the advantage of mage level, he had a feeling Kyran did have the ability to kill him.

What made Euan believe this was because of the unfathomable pressure surrounding Kyran. There was also the fact that he single-handedly devastated the west flank, killing several soldiers in a short amount of time.

The purple ring on Kyra's hand also gave Euan an ominous feeling. He had never seen anything like it before. He could not sense what type of magic it was.

Hold on.

Magic?

Because of Kyran's uncanny resemblance to Cade, Euan already knew who he was. Cade's son, Kyran Regis. But wasn't Cade's son failed to become a mage? That was how he ended up studying at the Milfiore Military School instead of the empire's Validen Magic School.

More importantly, wasn't Kyran missing? To be precise, was he not abducted by the fugitive wreaking havoc in Noser at this time?

In an instant, all the doubts Euan had regarding Gael's report finally came to light. His eyes narrowed as realization struck him.

Euan stared at the purple ring in Kyran's hand. Though he could not sense any magic fluctuation around it, it was definitely made of magic energy-- magic energy condensed into a purple ring without the use of runes.

"You're supposed to be in Noser."

Kyran raised his brows and tilted his head slightly to one side. An amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips; however, he did not acknowledge nor deny Euan's claims.

Euan looked at Mannick as he wondered if everything he told and showed him was all an act and was part of the Regis Clan's conspiracy.

Did he actually fall into their trap?

Euan rejected the idea as soon as it crossed his mind. When the enemies attacked them, Mannick and his men genuinely risked their lives to protect him. It was not an act. That much, he was sure of.

Still, Kyran's appearance and the revelation of his 'magic' brought more questions to Euan than clarity.

Kyran propped one leg on the chair, resting the arm that held the purple ring, and said, "This is boring."

Mannick chuckled.

The sudden change in their behavior dissolved the tension in an instant.

Although Euan's expression did not change much, he was inwardly confused.

"Do all emperors act as if nothing can deter them?" Kyran asked as he retracted the purple ring on his hand.

"Ignorance makes a person indifferent to the world."

Euan's expression finally changed as he scowled at Mannick's words. Before he could say anything, Kyran had already steered the discussion back on topic.

"Now that you know who I am, you should understand why I don't trust you."

Euan looked at Kyran and said, "Because of the Royal Family's decree about forbidden magic users."

"That's one. As part of that family, can you in wholeheartedness work along us?"

Euan fell silent. If Kyran's magic was those low to medium-risk forbidden magic, he could easily answer 'yes.' For years, the Royal Family had pardoned a few of these mages as long as they served in the army. But Kyran's case was different. Apart from being a Regis, his magic was the most feared and forbidden of all, Void.

When Euan still failed to answer after almost half a minute, Kyran said, "If you had answered yes, I would have killed you without batting an eye. But since you are undecisive, that is more than enough."

Mannick looked at Kyran with a slight frown, "Are you sure?"

Kyran shrugged, "Being undecisive can be good. It means he is still considering his answer. He can only decide after understanding the whole picture. In any case, it's not too late to kill him if he becomes a pain."

Euan looked at Kyran with narrowed eyes, "You sound as if you can really kill me."

Kyran looked at him with raised brows, "I only spoke the truth."

Euan could not help but hold his breath. Kyran's response actually made him see an illusionary figure behind him. This figure was shrouded with darkness and had a very ominous presence to the point that it was enough to suffocate him to death.

"I'm sure you already realized that Mannick is not working for you," Kyran continued. "Don't worry. He is not working for me, either.

"He knows my identity. That's why he is being respectful. But that's unimportant."

"He might think otherwise," Mannick commented as he looked at Kyran.

"The army attacked the Regis Clan because of you. But in the end, your family let you escape, and they barricaded themselves."

Kyran looked at Euan with a slight frown, "Yes."

"Did you know about your magic then?"

"Does it matter? The fact that my family hid the truth about me can already be considered an act of 'treason,' right?"

"Your family only wanted to protect you. I, for one, understand how the Regis Clan will do everything to protect one of their own. Personally, I will never judge them because of that."

Kyran did not respond and only looked at Euan with a thoughtful expression.

[The more I hear him, the more I believe he is a decent emperor, Void Halfling.]

True Void, who had stayed silent, suddenly shared his thoughts.

Seeing that Kyran had no plans on answering, Euan continued, "I am beginning to understand the whole picture. And you are right; I am still considering my answer to your question. However, I will have to put it on hold, not because I still have reservations, but because... I really do understand your family's decision."

Euan's expression turned solemn as Haylee's image crossed his mind, "I am currently in that situation, after all."

"Did you just learn about it?"

"Yes," Euan replied. He paused before adding, "It may seem like an excuse, but it is true."

Kyran only nodded before looking at Mannick, "I want you to order your men's retreat in the next half an hour. All of you will rendezvous with the others. I will deal with the army here."

"What do you mean by that? You plan on taking the whole army alone?" Euan asked in shock. No matter how strong Void magic was, there was a limit to how much a mage could use their magic. Besides, Kyran's mage level was...

Euan stopped short. What was Kyran's mage level?

Kyran looked at Euan, "I barely differentiate Mannick's men from the other side. If you guys stayed here, I might end up killing a few."

"Alright. Where will we meet them?" Mannick asked before Euan could reply to Kyran.

"For now, Malek and Hugh are gathering in the tower. Although, I don't think the tower can hold all of you. Besides, those annoying guys, probably a few remaining members of Ruin or Deception, are still keeping watch outside the tower."

"Hold on," Euan cut in, failing to process Kyran and Mannick's conversation. Actually, it was not that he could not process them but that he could not believe that what he was hearing was correct.

"Malek? Hugh? Tower? You are not talking about the Conclave, are you?"

"Who else will they be?"

"As a matter of fact, he is."

Kyran and Mannick answered respectively with deadpan expressions.

"We can stay outside the tower. I can hide my men using my magic," Mannick said as if they were not interrupted.

Kyran nodded, "Okay. I'll let Malek know about your arrival. Else, he might think the tower is under attack."

Mannick smiled wryly and said, "I already revealed myself to them. They will not think that way."

"The emperor is with you. Not to mention, you have more than forty thousand army soldiers."

"Hm. You have a point." After a short pause, Mannick asked, "When do you want to go to the Regis Estate?"

"Ruin is still there, and Nolan is keeping him busy but..." Kyran paused. "For now, just focus on joining with the rest. You can explain the situation to your men. I don't want to place a mark on them. I could barely keep the ones from the Montgomerays."

Euan, who decided to keep his mouth shut, could not help but gape at Kyran again.

"You... are not talking about the Montgomerays of the Three Noble Families?"

Kyran looked at him with a complicated expression. Then he looked at Mannick and said, "Can you also explain everything to him?"

"Alright."

"Your Majesty," Kyran finally turned his attention to Euan. "There are things you will learn that will probably confuse you more, but bear with it."