The corridor was lined with various angel statues—some were seraphim wielding weapons, others were elegant cherubim, and there were even winged snakes and half-human, half-beast figures.
As Kanade walked, he sensed a wave of malice emanating from all directions. Despite the holy imagery of the angels, it felt as if he were crossing the River Styx—an oppressive pressure made him nauseous and short of breath, his vision even beginning to blur with hallucinations.
He glanced at Flew, who strode forward completely unbothered, occasionally looking back at Kanade with an expression that seemed more amused than concerned.
"So this is magecraft?"
Kanade noticed the intricate mystical patterns carved into the walls, gaining a new level of respect for a magus's methods.
This was only his second encounter with the true mysteries of magecraft. Unlike Araya Souren's powerful bounded fields that operated through overwhelming force, this magic was far more insidious and difficult to guard against.
But since Flew could walk through the corridor's effects so easily, this was likely just a test Griven had set up to evaluate potential heirs—nothing truly dangerous for an experienced magus.
"Sharingan, activate!"
Kanade's eyes shifted dramatically, the pupils transforming as two black tomoe began spinning within crimson irises. The oppressive malice and disturbing hallucinations instantly vanished from his perception, replaced instead by clearly visible streams of magical energy flowing across the walls like glowing veins.
It wasn't just the walls—wherever he looked, he could now see mana pulsing through every part of the castle's structure, some areas dense with concentrated power while others showed only sparse flows. The entire castle had clearly been constructed as an extension of Griven's magical workshop.
"So this modified Sharingan can perceive not just chakra but magical energy as well... and it even provides resistance against mental interference magecraft."
"Mystic Eyes?" Flew muttered under his breath as he observed Kanade dispelling the illusions so effortlessly. "And not some low-grade variant either—those appear to be quite high quality."
Any remaining underestimation he might have held completely vanished in that moment—Flew now regarded Kanade with the wary respect one would show an equal in the world of magecraft.
After passing through the long corridor filled with disturbing angelic imagery, they finally arrived in a grand, gilded hall that seemed designed to overwhelm visitors with its ostentatious display of wealth. Two figures stood waiting inside, along with a truly massive statue of a sword-wielding angel positioned at the exact center of the room.
"Just how obsessed with angels was this guy anyway?" Kanade couldn't help but question the late castle owner's questionable aesthetic tastes.
The two waiting figures immediately began approaching as soon as they entered, while Flew—reacting like a mouse that had just spotted a prowling cat—quickly ducked behind the nearest statue in what was clearly an attempt to hide.
The first was a strikingly handsome young man dressed in an immaculate white suit, his most distinctive feature being his brilliant golden hair that seemed to shine even in the dim castle lighting. With his refined aristocratic features and naturally knightly bearing, he looked like a fairy tale prince who had stepped directly out of a storybook.
Half-hiding behind him was a girl wearing an elegant white dress, possessing beauty that matched the young man's but with an air of delicate fragility about her that made her seem like a frightened bird ready to take flight at any moment. She peeked out curiously at Kanade, only to freeze completely when her eyes met his face. After staring for what became an uncomfortably long moment, she suddenly flushed bright red and retreated fully behind the young man again.
"Hahaha, please forgive my sister's rude behavior. Rosalind has always been painfully shy around strangers." The young man's smile was warm and effortlessly charming, exactly the kind that could instantly put even the most guarded person at ease.
"It's perfectly fine. I'm quite used to this sort of reaction—after all, I am this exceptionally handsome." Kanade sighed dramatically while running a hand through his hair. "Ah, such is the heavy burden of my unavoidable natural charm."
The golden-haired man blinked several times in succession, completely stunned by the sheer shamelessness of the reply, before suddenly bursting into genuine laughter. "You're truly an interesting one. Allow me to introduce myself properly—I am Heine Istari, and this is my younger sister, Rosalind Istari."
"Higashino Kanade." He offered his own name with a slight nod.
"Higashino..." Heine repeated the name slowly, his expression turning thoughtful as he clearly searched his extensive knowledge of magical families for any mention of that lineage. When nothing came to mind, he smiled apologetically. "My apologies, but I don't believe I've ever heard of your family before. Though given your obvious natural talents and bearing at such a young age, you must come from quite a powerful hidden lineage."
In the complex world of magecraft, there were indeed many influential families who operated entirely in secrecy—the Einzbern family with their mastery of homunculi being one prime example.
"No, my family isn't anything particularly special in the grand scheme of things. I was raised in a rather isolated small village called Konoha. I only began traveling and seeing the wider world quite recently, and came here mostly out of simple curiosity."
"Curiosity?" Heine's eyebrows rose in clear surprise. "You mean to say you're not actually here competing for Griven's legendary legacy?"
"Not in the slightest. I'm just here to broaden my horizons and see something new. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even have a proper invitation—I only managed to get inside thanks to him over there." Kanade pointed directly at Flew, who responded by dramatically slapping a hand over his face before reluctantly shuffling out from his hiding spot.
"Knight Heine... it's been quite some time since we last met." Flew's greeting came out strained.
"Flewga, the infamous Teacher-Slayer. I must admit I'm surprised to see you dared show your face here."
Heine's previously warm expression darkened noticeably as he spoke, his gaze turning sharp with unconcealed hostility the moment his eyes landed on Flew.
"Flewga?" Kanade's lips curled into an amused smirk as he looked between them. "Well now, it seems I'm not the only one here operating under an assumed name after all."
"L-Look, kid, I wasn't deliberately trying to hide anything from you specifically!" Flew waved his hands defensively. "It's just that my professional reputation tends to be... well, let's say it's not exactly good for business if I go around using my real name all the time!"
"Ah, so you truly didn't know then."
Heine had initially immediately lumped Kanade together with Flew in his mind—after all, what kind of morally upstanding person would willingly associate with a notorious teacher-killer? But Flew's frantic explanation made him reassess the situation, his wariness toward Kanade fading somewhat.
"This Higashino boy seems like some country wildling who just stumbled out of the mountains—completely ignorant about even the most basic aspects of the magecraft world. If he actually understood what the Istari family name represented, he'd probably be trembling in his boots right about now." Flew explained while throwing in some gratuitous flattery for good measure.
Heine pointedly ignored the mercenary's words, instead turning back to Kanade with a renewed kind smile. "If you have any questions about how things work here, please feel free to ask me directly. Though I should offer you one important piece of advice—it would be wise to keep your distance from mercenary scum like Flewga here. Men of his ilk have no principles to speak of and won't hesitate for even a second before betraying you if it benefits them."
"I appreciate the warning—I'll definitely keep that in mind going forward." Kanade nodded with apparent seriousness.
"Now see here, Heine, that's completely uncalled for!" Flew protested loudly. "You can't just go around slandering a man's good name like that! Kid, don't listen to a word he says! Remember who was kind enough to get you inside this place in the first place!"
"And as I recall, I paid you quite handsomely for that particular service."
Kanade remained entirely unmoved by the mercenary's attempted emotional manipulation.
As the three of them continued their discussion, the heavy doors at the hall's entrance creaked open once more to admit another pair of newcomers.
The leading figure—a tired-looking man in a long coat—let out a visible sigh of relief as he took in the assembled group. "It appears we've managed to arrive just in time after all."
Kanade's eyes immediately lit up with recognition.
That unmistakable appearance, that iconic duo—it could only be Lord El-Melloi II, also known by his true name Waver Velvet, accompanied as always by his ever-loyal apprentice Gray.
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