“Well, well, look what we’ve got here,” Auralise smirked at the scene. It wasn’t clear whether she was sarcastically addressing Butterfly or just amused by the sight of the so-called boss, who looked less like a feared criminal mastermind and more like a pathetic, over-dressed morbidly obese worm.

  “You brute! Who do you think you are!” the greasy middle-aged man bellowed, glaring at Butterfly. Being the easily triggered person that she was, she didn’t let that slide and set the fatty’s rear on fire.

  “Hot! Hot, hot! Stop! Put it out!” he screeched, flailing in panic as the smell of roasted meat spread inside the tent.

  “Is this pathetic cliché old fatty really the boss?” Prominence, who had just arrived with Zero and Storm, frowned.

  “Whoa, boss or not, check out the tools on that table. Looks like he was planning something nasty with that kid over there.” Storm pointed toward a blindfolded teenage boy tied to a wooden pole in rags.

  “Quick, free the poor boy!” someone shouted, rushing over to untie him.

  Unlike the others who quickly tried to salvage the scene, Locktekei stood to the side with a very disappointed expression on his face.

  Curious, Sean approached him. “What’s with you? Still traumatized from free-falling from five thousand feet above the ground?”

  Locktekei sighed and shook his head. “That too, but it just sucks.” He then said with a straight face, “I was hoping to find an injured little Klee in the tent and be the hero who saves her. But the boss isn’t even straight…”

  Sean and several others nearby almost facepalmed at the absurdity. Was he really expecting to see something R-18 in a game that had strict guidelines against such behavior, where even a single violation would result in a permanent ban?

  Noticing the blank stares, Locktekei doubled down. “I’m serious! It’s a shame my bros, ButaYaarou and Nuclear, aren’t here. Otherwise, we would’ve all enjoyed being the only men of culture.”

  “You mean being a bunch of pedophiles?” Thunder quipped.

  “No! It’s different!” Locktekei protested, desperately trying to justify himself, but the other players had already dismissed his reasoning, deciding he was simply a lost cause. Only people like Prominence and Storm joined in the conversation, though they preferred if it was a helpless young woman instead.

  In any case, the greasy fatty was still rolling on the ground, frantically trying to put the flames out. But each time he managed to smother one, Butterfly would ignite another part of him, laughing all the while. It seemed like she was having way too much fun punishing the so-called “evil boss.” It was only fitting to torment scum like him, at least until the headmaster arrived to take charge.

  “Ahem.” A commanding voice broke through the situation. “What exactly is going on here?”

  Everyone turned to see the headmaster standing with his arms crossed, eyebrows raised in amusement.

  ***

  Victor hadn’t expected to see such a scene before him. The players were truly creatures that never failed to surprise him. From the pathetic villain writhing on the ground with burn marks all over, to Butterfly gleefully reigniting the poor man’s clothes, it was clear that they treated this like a scene from one of their games.

  He sighed inwardly. Whatever… As reckless as they are, they always get things done.

  After straightening his posture, Victor cleared his throat. “Alright, enough fun. Can anyone explain what just happened here?” His eyes drifted to a boy at the side, bewildered by the chaotic scene, clearly out of his depth.

  “Headmaster, it’s like this…”

  As usual, it was none other than Zero’s group that was first to approach and fill him in. Apparently, they had captured the supposed “boss” of these slavers, though Victor remained skeptical. This pathetic, over-dressed man didn’t exactly scream an “evil mastermind” vibe.

  “I see,” Victor replied as he walked toward the man in question. “Tell me, who are you?”

  The greasy, rotund figure glared back at him, seething through his teeth. “You! Are you the leader of these mages? Do you know what you’re doing?!”

  “Answer my question! Or face the wrath of a Magus!” Although Victor’s voice wasn’t loud, it still boomed around the surroundings. He unleashed a wave of mana, enveloping the man in an oppressive aura.

  The effect was immediate. Upon being pressured by his mana force, he trembled, eyes wide with fear, and to the players’ disgust, a wet stain spread from his groin. “Eep! I’m sorry! No, sir! Please forgive me!” He bashed his head against the ground repeatedly. “I’m Oleg, the former warden of Brightmoon City!”

  “Damn, dude’s peeing himself.”

  “That’s nasty.”

  “Gross.”

  The players commented on the side, treating this like a mere cutscene.

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  For Victor, however, their reactions were not important. He proceeded to question him. “Why are you siding with these slavers?”

  Oleg’s voice shook as he stammered, “I-I was enticed by the Merlin family after they destroyed the viscounty! They wanted me to help a Magus and some knights who were sent to catch the runaways… They promised me gold and power — saying they’d make me ruler if I helped catch the last remaining heir of House Brightmoon, and so far, we’ve managed to catch the butler and the guards.”

  Oh? What an interesting turn of events. Victor’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the blubbering man before him. The mention of the Merlin Magus family struck a chord. Graviel’s family. So, his death has set off a chain of events that led to the attack on the Brightmoon Viscounty.

  Because Graviel was killed inside a pocket dimension, and he had been very discreet about where he had gone, no trace was left behind. The Merlin family couldn’t perform a divination powerful enough to identify the culprit — him. Instead, they followed the faintest of leads, turning this region and other places upside down in their desperation. Typical arrogance of Magi and the ruling class.

  In a twisted sense, Victor was partly responsible for the destruction of House Brightmoon. He felt no remorse. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, victims of bad luck…

  He asked a few more questions, and Oleg answered everything without daring to lie.

  “Please, spare me! I was forced!” Oleg sobbed, his forehead pressing against the dirt. Still, this man’s fate was already decided. No amount of sobbing and pleading would change that. The players surrounding him were visibly growing impatient, eager to deliver their own version of justice.

  Victor glanced at the greasy warden one last time with an indifferent expression. “Enough,” he said. Without another word, he turned away. “Finish him, acolytes.”

  The players took the cue immediately, surrounding Oleg with a dark gleam in their eyes, more than eager to do his bidding. On the other hand, Victor had a more pressing matter at hand. The former warden said that he managed to catch the butler, which meant that he could get even more valuable information out of him. Or perhaps some sort of boon.

  Furthermore, there was one other interesting fact that had piqued his interest. One of the captives might lead to what he wanted — one of his main purposes for this expedition.

  ***

  Brown watched as Oleg was dragged outside and surrounded by the unknown mages.

  “Y-YOU! What do you think you’re doing?! Ack! No! Please mercy! Aaargh! Aahhh!!” The greasy warden’s pleas were turned into screams that pierced the air, only to be swallowed by an eerie silence. At last, justice had come. The slavers were being punished, and even though Brown had been resigned to his fate, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope stir within him. His homeland had been ravaged, his people enslaved, but now, finally, something was being set right.

  A few moments later, a figure approached — a young man with light blue hair, no older than twenty by the looks of him. He pointed at Brown with a calm, steady hand. “Are you Brown?” the mage asked, his voice clear and authoritative.

  Brown swallowed hard, his throat dry, and stood up slowly. “I am, sir,” he replied as best as he could. He could see that the young mage before him was incredibly powerful. And while he wasn’t entirely sure if the man was an official Magus, he knew that when speaking to his new captors — or potentially saviors — he had to be extra respectful.

  The mage nodded. “Come with me.” He beckoned, turning and striding toward one of the remaining tents.

  As they made their way across the camp, Brown couldn’t help but notice the reverence in the eyes of the other mages as they looked upon the young man leading him. He must be their leader and a true Magus — an extraordinary being of supernatural power.

  Once inside, the Magus cast a piercing gaze over him, as if he could see right through him, including everything that he’d been through. His eyes lingered for a heartbeat longer than Brown expected before a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

  “So, you were the butler of House Brightmoon,” the Magus said.

  “Yes, sir,” Brown responded cautiously, his voice hoarse but steady. “I was… before all this.”

  The Magus smiled mysteriously. “Before I ask for your story, I’ll share my own.” He paused as if to build tension. “My title is Astralium, and I am a Magus. I’m the headmaster of an academy hidden deep within the Thornwood Forest. The mages you saw outside — those are my acolytes.”

  The words stunned Brown inwardly. He had never heard of a Magus academy deep inside the Thornwood Forest, so close to the Brightmoon territory. As he recalled the acolytes outside, he realized they were all powerful, in fact they were as powerful as those from Magus families or even the esteemed Arcane Radiance College.

  Though Brown was just a butler and didn’t know much about Magi, his instinct told him one thing: the young Magus standing before him might be his only chance to save the little miss and restore the Brightmoon family.

  Although it was risky, it might be his only hope.

  ***

  Victor was satisfied with the old butler’s reaction. As soon as he revealed his identity, Brown kneeled and told him everything.

  Brown might look to be in his sixties with white hair and slightly wrinkled skin as well as an unkempt appearance after what he had gone through, but he carried himself with a sense of dignity and decisiveness. Such a butler might not be a bad addition to the academy, especially since he currently lacked capable hands that could do his bidding in detail.

  Moreover, Victor sensed that Brown was more than just an ordinary butler. Beneath his calm, composed exterior, there was something deeper — something hidden. Victor could tell that, despite his attempts to conceal it, Brown was a Ki-Warrior. The subtle ki energy radiating from him hadn’t escaped Victor’s keen perception.

  “Still…” he muttered in a soliloquy, low enough that no one could hear him. “The last remaining heir of House Brightmoon is being chased by an old Magus…”

  Wasn’t that what he had been searching for? An old Magus on the brink of death, who could be recruited to his academy in exchange for a promise to extend his lifespan. Of course, Victor had no way of knowing the specifics, but it seemed likely that this old Magus was not a member of the Merlin family but rather someone working for them, seeking benefits. It wasn’t uncommon.

  But more importantly…

  He mentioned that the last remaining heir of House Brightmoon is only thirteen and has been cursed by a terrible supernatural phenomenon since birth. And she has managed to escape alone into the forest? Victor thought in confusion.

  To begin with, how was it possible for a little girl to be able to escape from the pursuit of about a dozen knights and an Elemental Adept Magus?

  Victor found the situation absurd, yet it intrigued him. The curse might be a factor worth investigating.

  “I beg you, Sir Magus! Please save the young lady!” Brown implored, putting his head on the ground. “The Brightmoon Viscounty is prepared to offer anything within our power in return…”

  Victor paused, contemplating the request. Finally, he spoke. “Don’t worry. While I can’t assist with the restoration of House Brightmoon, I will make every effort to save the girl.”

  He couldn’t make any guarantees. Despite his confidence in his own abilities, he knew there were always more powerful entities out there. The machinations of Magi could be unpredictable and cunning, and underestimating them would invite great peril.