Raymond Rainelle.
He was the younger brother of Lord Rainelle and one of only two Archmages in the Rainelle Clan.
Just as there is a level of skill called “Expert” among warriors, there is also a hierarchy among mages.
This hierarchy is primarily related to the number of rings surrounding the heart.
The magical rings encircling the heart are called “Circles.” For every ring, a mage can cross one magical formula.
If the heart has only one ring, the mage can only use simple spells.
However, as the number of rings increases, so too does the mage’s ability to use spells, expanding geometrically in complexity.
Among mages, those who achieve a level comparable to the “Expert” rank of swordsmen are known as “High Mages.” This term refers to mages who possess five circles. Senior Elsi had reached this rank, and even this put her in a very rare category.
But even among the “High Mages,” there were exceptional individuals.
Once a mage reached five circles, it was common to stay at that level due to the immense difficulty of advancing further. Creating six circles required more than a lifetime, even for a prodigy.
Only a select few humans, possessed of talent, perseverance, and willpower, had the qualification to reach that level.
And only those individuals earned the title of “Archmage.”
Incredibly, the Rainelle family had two mages who had reached this level: Lord Rainelle, the head of the family, and his younger brother, Raymond Rainelle.
Even Senior Elsi, who was still at the 5th Circle, could project terrifying firepower on a battlefield. So what kind of power would a 6th-Circle “Archmage” possess?
It was enough to make one break out in a cold sweat just imagining it.
On the other hand, my competitive spirit subtly rose.
I had just barely reached the Expert level and hadn’t yet awakened my aura characteristics. Of course, compared to Mr. Rainelle, I was far inferior.
But I was curious to see how well I could hold my ground against an Archmage.
Despite their combat prowess, mages were still considered inferior to swordsmen in personal combat because of the time required for spell recitation.
Swordsmen wouldn’t give them that amount of time.
Narrowing the distance and placing someone within the trajectory of the blade was one of the lifelong pursuits of swordsmen. This was no exception even when dealing with a mage.
Rather, mages, who were so demanding to fight, needed to be definitively cut down when given the chance.
Perhaps in a group battle with a vanguard, it’d be a different story, but in a one-on-one duel with a mage, I was not entirely without a chance.
With this mindset, while equipping my gear and heading toward the sparring grounds, Raymond noticed me with a curious look.
“…What are you doing?”
I, too, stared at him curiously. Given Raymond’s great height, I naturally ended up looking up slightly—even though I was over 180 cm tall.
“To check my abilities, you said?”
At that moment, Raymond seemed to guess my intention. A faint smirk appeared on his lips, though he wasn’t one to often show much emotion.
He reminded me somewhat of my older brother Aaron, though the outcome was slightly different.
Aaron would always show his feelings through his actions, which gave a solid and weighty impression, whereas Raymond was different.
He was like a transparent lake—revealing his emotions only after you dipped your hand into the water, making them rare to perceive outwardly.
And so Raymond unintentionally gave off a frigid impression to everyone.
With the same emotionless voice, he replied,
“You seem unexpectedly violent, to suggest a duel like this.”
“…No, then how do you propose to assess my skills?”
Instead of answering, Raymond took the lead. Despite my bafflement, I followed him.
The Percus Manor had countless rooms. Among them was a quieter one that served as a “conference room,” which Raymond opened.
It was usually the place where my father discussed the affairs of the Percus family.
Sitting there was someone I had never seen before.
He was a young man with glasses. He appeared frail and very tired, wearing an outfit so wide it seemed inconvenient for movement. His attire, however, was the imperial official’s uniform—a relic of the past that even the administrative officials of the empire rarely wore except for specific missions.
Unluckily for him, it seemed this man had one of those rare missions.
He was here as an emissary from the Imperial Court, tasked with visiting vassals.
Even though it was rare for the Imperial Court to intervene in a vassal’s territory—except in the case of the five major aristocratic families, who received the emperor’s approval when appointing their new head—it spoke of only one thing.
There was an issue with the Percus territory.
As soon as the official saw me, he quickly rose, bowing repeatedly.
“Oh, it’s an honor! Sir Ian, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct, but…”
He adjusted his slipping glasses and introduced himself.
“My name is Arthur. I’ve been dispatched to the Percus territory this time. Oh, and this is confidential, so please keep it secret…”
“Well, everyone in the manor will probably find out anyway.”
“Isn’t protocol usually more important than anything else in administrative tasks?”
With that, he smiled faintly.
Raymond looked extremely dissatisfied, leaning against the wall and folding his arms. His refusal to sit suggested he was quite unwilling to be here.
Of course, he was still a member of a high-ranking noble family.
Imperial officials often originated from commoners. And since Arthur hadn’t even introduced a surname, it seemed that was the case. Meanwhile, I was only a junior noble of the empire.
Given the importance of his role, this wasn’t an ideal meeting for Raymond, a prominent figure in the Rainelle family.
Arthur, however, appeared accustomed to such treatment.
“In any case, there’s a particular favor I’d like to ask from Sir Ian.”
The overly servile attitude of Arthur mixed with Raymond’s unexpected action of bringing me here jumbled in my mind, leaving me utterly confused.
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why Raymond and the imperial official were together.
So, all I could do was hesitantly ask,
“Request?”
“Dark Cult.”
Raymond’s response to my chaotic question was matter-of-fact.
His blue eyes pierced into mine.
“For several years now, the Rainelle family has been investigating peculiar trends within the territory.”
“…Abduction cases, huh.”
Unwittingly, I let out that response.
Raymond’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Arthur, on the other hand, softly exclaimed but nodded.
But at this point in time, the reason why they had been dispatched specifically to the Percus territory could only be for cases like these.
The disappearance cases I had Neoris investigate beforehand.
It seemed these incidents had been happening over a long period and across wide-ranging regions.
“We initially regarded them as simple disappearance cases involving unknown individuals.”
Arthur continued while picking up a pile of documents stacked nearby. His eyes scanned the printed text behind his glasses.
“But the conditions surrounding those abductees were too specific. They were repetitive and occurred over a long period. Even the territories where the abductions frequently happened were gradually shifting.”
“…And now the location is Percus territory.”
Arthur nodded once to confirm.
Now the puzzle was starting to make sense.
Why the Rainelle family’s Magic Troops were dispatched to Percus Territory at this time and why the Percus family had to allow their stationing—it all fell under the influence of the Imperial Official.
Arthur put it bluntly.
“To be honest, the empire suspects that the Dark Cult might be involved.”
“…Is there sufficient evidence for that?”
“No, not yet.”
My expression soured immediately.
If not, it automatically implied that the difficulty of the mission would increase significantly.
In other words, we would have to investigate from the ground up.
A deep sigh escaped me.
Whenever the Dark Cult was involved, things never went smoothly.
