The King, Iame, grinned at Kris menacingly.

"You must have complete confidence in yourself, disrespecting me while I sit on the throne. But to dare accuse me?"

"It is blasphemy, Your Majesty," the court marshal said.

"Shut up," the king didn't like the court marshal's interjection, which only worsened his mood. "You must be out of your mind. But I'll humor you, why do you suspect me of working with the cult?"

"I appreciate the chance; while you're at it -" Kris pointed an open palm towards the king, which shot a concentration Kris' mana. In almost an instant, it hit the king, making him jump up from his throne. "What did you do!? Get him!" he commanded as he started accumulating magic power himself.

"I advise you don't," a barrier of wind pushed violently against the incoming guards and court marshal, who Kris wasn't surprised also wielded magic. "And worry not, I only expelled the magic that was corrupting your thoughts," Kris said, willing the wind to subside. The guards, perplexed, were fixed to the floor.

"And why do you suppose I should believe you?" Iame said, preparing himself for battle.

"You don't have to. All I know is that it's possible that you're compromising with the cult in some way. During your exchanges, a magic was cast upon you to influence your thoughts. I happened to see one of them exit your chamber a while ago. His mana... it felt chaotic," Kris said.

This seemed to have picked up the king's interest, making him relax slightly, albeit obviously ready for anything. "You're meaning to say you were able to sneak around... no - so you were able to check his mana core?"

"Like the mages of old," Kris emphasized.

This time, the king only laughed heartily.

"To think that the bastards from Adeite were colluding with the cult," the king said.

Kris kept silent.

"I appreciate the information. Usually, your sins would've been paid through a quick and painless death in this case," the king said with flair, before sitting down on the throne. "But you lad... I like you. You're bold. To not be afraid to go head-to-head against the king... what else would you do if it suits your whims? That energy will be better spent on better things".

Kris only shrugged. "What're you trying to say?"

"Unfortunately, without any evidence, I can't believe that you haven't done anything to me that can harm me. So... I'll let you off the hook - including for assaulting the royal battle mages - if you pledge your allegiance".

He doesn't seem particularly worried about what Kris just did. He's got good instincts.

But it isn't perfect.

"Ahh, then you do get it. That I don't consider you my king?"

At this, the king's brows slightly twitched. "I am saying I'm giving you a chance," he insisted.

"What happens if I turn it down?"

"You know very well," the king's threats were imbued with a pulse of magic power, straining the guards behind Kris and making the court marshal a bit uncomfortable.

"I do. However, I'm not the one who's being clueless," the hall was suddenly draped in a swathe of mana. It felt heavy and encumbered everyone in the room. The king was visibly shocked.

"You..." there was fear, but more than that, it was the trepidation that Kris saw as an opportune chance.

"If we were to fight, at the very least, this whole city will crumble. Are you saying you're ready to take that gamble?"

The king, backed into a corner, grimaced. But he still took a solid step forward. It was obvious to Kris, but the fear wasn't coming from a place of protecting his person. "It seems, at least, you're ready to die for this country," the hall returned to normal. With the tension abating, the guards as well as the court marshall were all forced on their knees.

"What do you want?" the king said, eyeing Kris intently.

"To flush the cult out of existence. They're bothersome."

"I do not work with such people".

"Then, why did you meet with one of them?" Kris asked sharply.

"I am not stupid, young man. That man is a bait, to get more information from whoever it was he was working for. I didn't know that he was from the cult, but I had my suspicions."

"Has it worked so far?" he wanted to ask how daddy Adeite fit into all this, but refrained for now.

"I've told you enough. Just because you dare threaten my city, doesn't mean I'll acquiesce to your demands," he said, as Kris felt a prodding for his mana core, which he promptly expelled. The king faintly clicked his tongue.

Kris laughed and walked forward. "I didn't come here for demands. I came to ask why you put a hit on my head."

"Ah, but are you not the more likely candidate to be from the cult? Attributeless mana that feels empty, but with access to deep magic. Regardless, people like you are variables, and in our current situation, we can't have that sort of variable".

Kris was shocked to learn that the king knew about Kris' mana. How did he find out? Kris was eager to know, but he couldn't derail the conversation now. "I am not a threat".

"You are - even if it's not directed towards this country directly, the scope of your power has the capability to affect the world," the king said that slowly. "We owe the Ravens tremendously... but you are an orphan. An unknown. A brat your age with the balls to face me!?

"Diethart and his team wasn't enough. If that's the case, a formal execution will be impossible. If they had engaged you once more, they would've died. It was better to get you here, gauge your intentions, and then decide to kill you by my own hands," he revealed. "Diethart must have had the same judgment".

"You can't kill me," Kris declared. "Even if you ask for their help now. They weren't able to capture me. I came with them willingly and they knew that," he pointed out.

"I can make it difficult for you to come out of here alive," the room vibrated, as metallic clanking and clinking sounded across the hall. Looking closer, every structure and object here was imbued by the king's magic.

Similar to Jack's mansion.

Downstairs, however, were mages powering a single magical circle. In the midst of it, was a power that controlled the manifestation of the magic that imbued the walls. It's not just him.

Behind Kris, the guards and court marshal started to make their own moves. Before they could do anything substantial however...

"Metal magic? Interesting," Kris waved his hand. "At the end of the day, nominal," the magic running through the castle fluctuated, and then disappeared.

The king could only shake in his anger and frustration.

"So, what happens now?" Kris asked, looking Iame dead in the eyes.

Maya was soaring through the skies as a glowing mist.

She traveled at a brisk pace, although for her it was like a gentle breeze.

She was anything but leisurely, however, as her destination was a critical one.

Establish a waypoint to their so-called isles.

The leader of the group she subjugated, referred to as Eeno, had a distinct connection to a faraway location up north from Dragnir. Particularly, another waypoint set up through void magic. Maya's task was to set up a similar waypoint, as jacking another waypoint is just asking them to close it, losing their lead.

If a waypoint is set up, Kris will be able to locate and even transport himself (depending on distance) almost instantly.

She knew that setting up a waypoint will be a definite advantage in the culling of this cult.

Maya, ever diligent, was still considering the two biggest problems.

The first one was the types of defenses the void users from the isles used. Maya, as a spirit, had deep insight and intuition when it comes to magic. But the void was anything but predictable, and Maya only has knowledge of the magic system from Kris' time. As with anything, practical knowledge is a necessity when it comes to magic. Maya could only think of Kris as the only possible exception.

The next one was the bigger problem.

No matter how fast she traveled, she never seemed to approach the waypoint.

She had been traveling in a straight line for three days now. A particularly short time for her, feeling like a blink of an eye, but she understood wasn't making progress. The skies, still zoomed past her amidst her flight, and the sound of waves still crashed with magnificence.

Her distance from her master grew, but she wasn't getting any closer to the waypoint. If anything, this is an indication of void magic. One complete enough to not feel any disturbance in space or the surroundings.

"For now, I will return," she decided, knowing better than to tackle this problem alone.

A few days had passed since Kris met with the king. It seems he was being asked to visit so many people this year. It kind of reminded him of his days touring. Munching on an apple, he was seated in a lone bench placed inside a long hallway. Beside him, was the door that led to the academy director's office.