Feylord Lernon was escorted deep into the castle until they finally reached a small office at the end of a seemingly secret corridor.

The Guardian Knights had stopped following them and vanished, leaving only Reyna walking a couple of steps in front of him.

She opened the black-framed wooden door and motioned for him to follow

When he stepped inside, he saw a lot of bookshelves, a chimney, a dark red carpet that covered the entire floor, and an exquisite black-wooden desk at the back.

Sitting behind the desk was a familiar middle-aged woman. She had a pair of naturally narrowed and scary eyes, a triangular-shaped face, and raven-black hair tied into a short ponytail.

She was Jennifer Zos Azakin, older sister of the Emperor and a very influential figure, outside and inside of the Nemia Academy.

“It’s good to finally meet you, Feylord. Please sit.”

Unlike the inexplicably gloomy Reyna, Jennifer had a wide but seemingly fake smile as she gestured for the confused youth to sit, which he did.

“I hope Reyna didn’t say anything out of place this time.”

“I..I didn’t!” The spoiled girl protested, but a sharp glare from her aunt made her lower her head and mumble something inaudibly.

“My niece is wont to blabber her mouth… a most troublesome trait, especially for someone like her, who needs to behave according to her societal status. I sure hope she didn’t give you a hard time.”

After a brief silence, in which he collected himself and got rid of all the annoying dark thoughts, Feylord heavily exhaled and shook his head.

“Not at all, Teacher.”

“Ah! While I'm here, I’m not a teacher. Furthermore, I did not invite you here in my capacity as a teacher in the Nemia Academy, but as the Duchess of Valkin. You do know what that means, yes?”

Seeing him meekly nod, Jennifer chuckled and, before she continued, she glanced at her niece,

“Don’t just stand there, Reyna. Either leave or sit down.”

The girl walked to the seat across from Feylord and sat down, though she kept her eyes on the ground. She was acting extremely polite and reserved and that made Feylord a bit scared of The Duchess, who, albeit being relatively nice, still made her niece act like that.

A bout of silence flowed between them, in which Jennifer scrutinized the clearly uncomfortable youth. When enough time had passed, she spoke,

“Your recent travails have not gone unnoticed, Feylord. The Royal Council, including myself, is pleasantly surprised with what you managed to achieve.”

“I do not deserve such praise, Your Royal Highness.”

“Come now, don’t be so modest. Obtaining the Phoenix Feather from the academy’s Vault… not anyone can achieve such a feat. As one of the teachers, I confess that I had found your punishment ‘light’, so to speak. As the Duchess of Valkin, however, I am impressed by a talented young man such as yourself. That is why I asked Reyna to bring you here. I wanted to personally compliment your efforts and propose something that might interest you.”

“...”

Feylord kept his silence and simply listened, his discomfort greatly lessened after hearing her words, now replaced with a mix of pride and positive expectations.

“I’d like to hear your side of the story, if you do not mind. More specifically, about your collaborator. The Parasite.”

It was Feylord’s first time learning the true identity of the mysterious man who had helped him. He had suspected him to be not human, but the thought of him actually being a Parasite never crossed his mind for more than one reason.

Suffice it to say, when he heard that revelation, Feylord genuinely felt more fearful of Arthur and started to rethink his plan of following him.

“I know nothing. Really.”

“That’s also fine.” Jennifer sighed but she didn’t look particularly displeased or angry with his response.

“Moving on from that, I want to talk about my aforementioned proposal. As someone who absorbed the Phoenix Feather and still lives and breathes, I, as well as the Royal Council, do not want to let a talent like you go to waste. Archmagus Michael Pins, The Master of the Red Magic tower, wants to bring you under his tutelage. That is a side-bonus of the offer, however.”

The Duchess paused for a couple of breaths, her eyes assessing his reaction and noticing his rapid breathing.

“You will be appointed as a Trainee Court Mage until you reach a satisfactory level of mastery in Fire Magic, after which, you’ll officially become one of our Court Mages. Additionally, you will be granted a fiefdom and, naturally, be appointed as its feudal lord. Lastly, you will be given a sum of 30 Blakin Platinum.”

At first, the notion of training under a renowned mage like Michael Pins excited Feylord, but the more he listened, the warier he got.

“All of that in exchange for what?”

“Why, your loyalty, of course! I understand that your hometown is in the Militant Syndicate, but isn’t it insignificantly small and practically abandoned to its own devices? Reyna has told me a few things about you, and one such thing is that you’re not that patriotic. I do not mean to boast, but this chance the Royal Council is offering you is not to be missed. After all, you have been expelled from the Nemia Academy and aimlessly wandering the lands will avail you naught. Isn’t it better to join us? I trust I do not have to tell you the benefits of being a Court Mage. You won’t want for wealth or power, political or otherwise.”

For an indeterminate amount of time, Feylord Lernon just sat there, in total silence as he argued with himself and contemplated his options.

“I’m not pressing you for an immediate answer. Due to the recent chaos that occurred in the academy, the Principal has given everyone a short vacation of two weeks. I will be staying here in the meantime. Think about our proposal.”

After which, Feylord was escorted out of the estate and boarded the fancy carriage once more. Reyna stayed behind, and only one Guardian Knight accompanied him to where he had first been picked up.

When he was finally left alone, the youth let out a long sigh and looked at his slightly trembling hands.

“I will be eagerly awaiting your answer, Feylord.”

Those were Jennifer’s last words, but, unlike earlier, he didn’t feel that excited.

When he sobered up and regained his senses, Feylord checked his pocket watch before sprinting to the port.

“There you are.”

As he saw Leonis Sanguis stand up from the bench and give him a reproachful glare, Feylord mumbled under his breath as he suspended his disbelief.

‘Has he been possessing Leonis from the beginning? Yes… that’s highly-probable. He was the one who caused the Blood Purge, after all.’

Feylord purged any troubling thoughts out of his mind and faced the parasite, a resolute expression plastered on his sweaty face.

“I’m not going with you… sir.”

Arthur furrowed his brows and was about to say something but Feylord, as if wanting to explain himself, hastily added,

“I..I received an offer from the Royal Council. It’s a good one.”

“Well well well! Isn’t that great for you.” Sarcastically retorted ‘Leonis’ while sneering.

“They think I have fully absorbed the Phoenix Feather… if they discover the truth, they won’t welcome me.”

Feylord lowered his head and clenched his fists, feeling ashamed and powerless.

For now, the power of the feather was contained, but he needed to find a permanent solution. Going with the parasite would save him, but, personally, he didn’t feel particularly safe or willing to travel with such a dangerous individual.

The kidnapping and the heist had made him learn his lesson, therefore, he desperately yearned for a better option.

“I don’t remember asking about any of this stuff. Whatever you do is irrelevant to me. Then again, for an opportunist like you, why does it seem like you’re hesitating? Perhaps if you tell the truth, the Royal Council will help you. They definitely have a means to control the feather until it becomes fully integrated into your body.”

“...”

Arthur’s words held some truth in them, but Feylord didn’t want to take such a risk. Just as they could help him, they could also forcefully extract the feather and give it to one of their own. A trustworthy and capable mage.

“Do you want to know what I truly think? I can be brutally honest.”

Feylord hesitantly nodded his head while keeping his lips shut.

“I think you’re a greedy coward who doesn’t have the balls to chase after what he wants. Even back then, you hired a Demon to kill your father and then you ran away here. Your life will be threatened regardless of what you choose, whether it's coming with me or accepting the offer. You’re always lying and relying on others… it’s deplorable and will not last indefinitely.”

“I do that to survive and obtain power. Not everyone can be as powerful as you are. Also, don’t you rely on people’s corpses to literally live?”

A bit emotional, Feylord lashed unknowingly lashed back, but he quickly regretted his actions and backed away.

Arthur wasn’t angry with his words, he just chuckled,

“Don’t turn it against me, Feylord. I'm not here to debate whether your actions need a good justification or not. You did what you wanted or needed to do, period. However, you’ve got the Phoenix Feather and it’s time to change your ways. I’ve got no solution for your predicament… figure it out yourself.”

Once he was done speaking, the parasite turned around and unceremoniously waved his hand and walked away,

“Good luck.”

Four days later.

“Welcome back.”

Jennifer smiled at Feylord and motioned for him to sit, which he did. He looked noticeably less nervous and more determined than their previous meeting.

“Your Highness, I can’t accept your offer right now.”

“Oh?”

Jennifer put the pen in her hand down and crossed her arms, eyeing him with a half-confused half-surprised face.

“Is there a reason for your hesitation? Maybe I can help you.”

The young man firmly shook his head once and answered,

“It’s something personal. I’m going home for a while.”

“Home? What good will that do? I can arrange for you to stay at the Red Magic tower.”

“No, thank you. I must return home for now. I am grateful for your generous proposal, but I’m not ready to decide yet.”

“Very well.”

Jennifer didn’t insist or object, her smile broadened as she took out an item from her drawer; It was a pyramid-shaped black crystal with three golden suns on its sides.

“Once you use this, it will send a signal directly to me. Be warned, however, that using this means you accept and that there will be no turning back. At that time, people will be sent to pick you up and it would be preferable if you were in a remote area. Lastly, once it is activated, keep it close to you as it will allow our people to track your whereabouts.”

Feylord accepted the Magical Artifact and put it in his back before politely bowing toward the Duchess.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Farewell.”