For a few seconds, the room went silent. Rylan could see the slight outrage building in his mother's expression, while Gerard looked more severe. Nevertheless, he was calm.

"I agree," he said before anyone else could say anything, making Elizabeth throw him a glare. "But I want to hear your reasoning. Why?"

Damian took a deep breath, looking serious, as he always did when talking about things related to the Empire and the continent's political situation. Deep in his eyes, Rylan could see a variety of emotions, including hesitation and self-loathing.

"By now, they probably know more about you than you realize," Damian replied. "I haven't talked to Mar's queen in a while, but I'm sure she already knows it was you who defeated the imperial Mages. Mar's intelligence agency is incredible, but knowing that much isn't even difficult."

Rylan nodded. To begin with, there had been no way for him to keep everything under wraps. From the moment Damian's Mage Tower stopped burning and the capital's Mages flooded in, it had become impossible to hide anything. On top of that, he'd revealed the existence of Mana Cultivation. It would have been stranger for Mar not to have tried to find out everything about him.

"Catherina is the reason why the Empire can't easily conquer Mar. She's younger than me, but she's a generational genius who far surpasses my abilities and Circle," Damian continued, clenching his fists. "If you become her ally properly, I'm sure she'll be able to help you much more than the entirety of Ceotha can, including me."

Rylan nodded.

"That's probably true. I agree with you."

Damian threw him a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help, Rylan. You're already stronger than me."

Rylan shook his head with a grin.

"Aren't you still helping me with magic and mana? Didn't I learn from you? Even if Catherina is more powerful than you, it doesn't mean all the help you've given me was pointless. Thank you, Damian."

Damian blinked, his smile changing to a relieved one, even if only slightly. Hayden turned to look at Damian.

"Master, I have a question," the boy said. "Why is our kingdom one of Mar's allies? No matter how I look at it, given how powerful Mar is, I don't see what they get from an alliance with us."

Regis and Lillia widened their eyes, but turned to look at Damian. Jasmine and Gerard nodded almost at the same time, while Elizabeth furrowed her brow. Only Aelfric and Sarah didn't change their expressions.

Damian sighed and looked at Hayden.

"Catherina and the Kingdom of Mar are different from the other kingdoms and rulers. Instead of seeking mutually beneficial alliances, she prioritizes good relationships and relies only on herself and her kingdom for military power," he replied. "Simply put, she would rather become an ally to a kingdom with a royal family that she knows personally than a powerful nation. She and Henry have some history. That is all."

Hayden blinked and slowly nodded. Rylan raised an eyebrow.

Interesting.

He had never met her, but he was already feeling some budding goodwill toward Mar's queen. In a way, it was the privilege of the strong. Because Catherina herself was so powerful, she didn't care about building alliances for assistance during a war.

She doesn't need to.

The greatest piece of evidence was the current situation. Even though the Empire had cut her off from most of her allies and isolated her kingdom, it still hadn't tried to forcefully occupy the Kingdom of Mar. For all intents and purposes, Catherina seemed to be enough of a deterrent, or, at least, another person in her kingdom.

Is she in the Eighth Circle? Possibly even the Ninth?

For her to become so powerful while not being part of the Empire was nothing short of wondrous. Rylan nodded to himself. He wanted to meet her.

Damian turned to look at Rylan again.

"Since you said you agree, I'll set up a meeting with Mar's representatives. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you. There's a lot you and Catherina can talk about."

"Do we get to meet her, too?" Jasmine asked from the side, making Rylan look at her. She looked excited, eyes shining and leaning forward. He smiled.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Nothing wrong with admiring someone like that.

Damian looked at Gerard and Elizabeth.

"Are both of you in agreement?" he asked.

Gerard nodded.

"My son can make his own decisions," he replied. "But yes, I am. We need a stronger bond with those who can help save this kingdom."

Elizabeth frowned a bit before nodding.

"I don't want my son to go to war," she said in a heavy tone. "But that seems unavoidable, at this point."

"From the moment the Empire targeted us, we had no other choice," Rylan replied.

She looked at him straight in the eyes.

"The Empire didn't target 'us.' It targeted 'you,' Rylan. They sent three Sixth Circle Mages with the sole intent of killing you before you grew. I don't want you to need to fight again, but that's a vain hope. Just stay safe. Please."

Rylan's words died in his throat as he realized what his mother meant. He smiled. Even now, after a whole year since remembering his past life, such care still made him feel warm.

"I'll win," he replied confidently. "As always."

She raised an eyebrow at him, frowning.

"I agree," Aelfric suddenly said.

She scowled at him and looked at Rylan again.

"Just be careful, son," she said.

Rylan nodded and looked at Damian.

"Set up the meeting. Let's see if I can get Mar to actually help us," he said to the man.

Damian nodded with a grave expression. Rylan clapped once.

"Now, let's wrap up this lesson," he continued.

The others shifted in place, a few of them growing focused faster than the others. Elizabeth kept her frown, but Rylan could see she was trying to concentrate. As expected, Damian, Hayden, and Aelfric made progress the fastest.

The lesson continued. Once it was over, Rylan drew everyone's attention once more and looked at the group.

"I'm going to the Arid Wasteland," he said. "I need to figure out exactly how powerful I am and Level up a bit. I've taught you guys enough that you can train on your own for some time. No way around it, you need time."

Among the three Dungeons Damian had talked to him about, it was the only one he hadn't cleared yet. Just like Frozen Sanctum, Arid Wasteland's very environment was hostile, and the monsters within took advantage of it. Even though his power level was solidly in the Sixth Circle now, the Dungeon would still be good training. Rylan looked at Damian.

"After that, we'll talk about Sixth Circle Dungeons," he continued. "But Mar will probably know more about those."

Elizabeth immediately opened her mouth, but once Gerard placed his hand on her shoulder, her words died in her throat. She glanced at him, then looked back at Rylan, clearly worried. Still, Rylan didn't budge. He knew better than anyone that he needed to do this.

"…Very well," Damian replied. "Take care. Don't underestimate your enemies just because you're stronger now."

Rylan smiled at him and nodded.

"Of course."

Damian sighed, while Hayden smiled at Rylan, his eyes shining with competitiveness. Jasmine looked as worried as Elizabeth, as did Regis and Lillia, surprisingly. Aelfric, as usual, seemed perfectly calm. Sarah, on the other hand, also looked a bit concerned.

"Tell me stories about it when you come back," Aelfric said in a relaxed tone.

Rylan chuckled and looked at Damian.

"And the Jason matter?"

Damian shook his head with a disappointed sigh.

"As predicted, he left the kingdom with his family. His house's presence in Ceotha is in shambles because of it, but a surprising amount of their forces have managed to move alongside them."

Rylan clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

"So be it, then. I'll find him eventually."

He took a deep breath.

Now, it was time for him to go.

***

Outside the Mage Tower, Rylan looked at the clear sky.

Should I rush there with the Falling Snow Steps?

On one hand, there was no need to draw more attention to himself, and it was unnecessary to rush. On the other hand, all notable Mages within Ceotha were already aware of him and his power level. Many had even seen him rushing through the air toward Damian's Mage Tower.

After some thought, Rylan shook his head.

The carriage ride will give me more time to study Aether, Aura, and mana.

Riding the carriage wouldn't mean wasted time. He could train on the way there. Given everything Damian had already taught him, it would be beneficial to take some time to apply the teachings to his mana. Having decided, Rylan walked to the capital city's largest tavern, ignoring the glances and stares he got on the way. From there, it was a simple matter to find someone to take him closer to the Dungeon, especially because he offered to pay several times the usual rate.

In less than an hour, Rylan was inside a carriage, on his way to the Dungeon.

Inside the vehicle, Rylan crossed his legs and closed his eyes, his sword resting on his lap. He circulated both his Aura and mana, feeling both types of energy flow through him and their differences. From there, he tried to find similarities based on his experience with Mana Cultivation. Then, he went back to studying the differences. He repeated this process over and over, trying to become more familiar with both types of energy.

Lost in his inner world, Rylan barely felt the ride's bumping and shaking. Still, he maintained a sliver of awareness of his surroundings, always ready for an ambush.

Fortunately, the ride was uneventful. There was no outside attack or problem that required Rylan's attention. Instead, he devoted himself to his training.

After some time, Rylan felt the carriage stop. He opened his eyes and walked out of the vehicle, looking to his right to behold a large Gate in the distance.

"This is about as far as I can take you, boss," the coachman said, taking off his hat.

Rylan smiled at him and threw him a silver coin.

"Thank you," he replied.

The coachman tried to bow from his sitting position, then drove away. Rylan started running toward the Gate, each step light as a feather. Nevertheless, he was faster than any of the Mages he'd encountered in this life. He analyzed his body, from the way his bones shifted to the way his muscles contracted.

Not bad.

Harmony of Twin Lives increased the effectiveness of all stats by 15%, but the amplification seemed to be even greater than that when it came to his overall prowess. Finally, he felt a bit freer.

I need to learn more sword styles.

Nodding to himself, Rylan continued on his way. Gradually, groups of Mages started to appear, all in the Fifth Circle. Once they looked at him, their eyes widened. Their whispers reached his ears.

"Is that fucking Rylan Flameheart?"

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