Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran had warned Silas that Byron had a few loose screws. But because of the latter's capable display during their meeting with Olivia, he had forgotten about it. He even thought Kyran said those things so he would closely watch Byron. 

But realizing how far off the latter's take was from what Kyran had said, Silas finally understood Kyran's warning.

It seemed Byron's character took a strange turn whenever Kyran was around.

This change made Silas wonder how the two met.

Putting aside his own thoughts, Silas told Lauren and Olivia what Kyran said before Byron could say more.

Byron did not look happy that Silas stole the spotlight from him, but since he was speaking on behalf of his master, he could only reign in his displeasure and let Silas continue.

The facial expressions of Lauren, Olivia, and the rest of the Aureole elites change drastically after hearing Silas's explanation.

"I heard a rumor about the Royal Family having three Archmagus hidden in their ranks," Lauren started. "And ordered two of my confidants to investigate it. They did confirm it, but I never really thought the Royal Family would dispatch them."

Olivia nodded in agreement, "Few know about what comes after a Magus. If others find out about them, it will cause mass panic. Dispatching them is equivalent to admitting the empire is facing a national level crisis that a Magus cannot face, after all."

She paused and shook her head before adding, "Well, it's not like they will announce their level, but the obvious gap in power they possess compared to a Magus will definitely show."

"You seemed familiar about the power gap between a Magus and an Archmagus," Lauren remarked with a slight frown. While she knew a Magus was not the end of a mage's journey, she only heard hearsay about it. She also heard the highest mage level ever to appear had been a Sage— and proof of this existence was none other than the Dark 'Sage.'

Olivia snorted and crossed her arms, "I know far more things than you could ever know."

The Aureole elites with them stiffened at Olivia's response to Lauren. They knew the two did not see eye to eye, but they had been cooperating well earlier, so they thought they had already put their differences behind them.

They did not expect that they were only being civil around each other!

"If there is someone who knows more, it can only be my master!" Byron blurted out of the blue.

All of them looked at him with dark lines appearing on their forehead.

Did he have to boast about his master?

"Humph," Olivia snorted again. However, she did not try to refute Byron's claims. Instead, she said, "There is no point competing on knowledge with that guy."

She did not say this to get Byron to shut up. This was her clear assessment of Kyran based on her essence experience.

Kyran was not the rookie mage others thought him to be. Just looking at his Array attainments, one could already see how advanced his knowledge in magic was.

In any case, Olivia knew Kyran knew more about the different mage levels after a Magus. He might even know more about those 'Sovereigns' she often heard in the Tower of Tribulations.

Seeing Olivia relent without kicking up a fuss made Lauren even more curious about Byron's master.

Silas clapped his hands, instantly attracting all of their attention.

"Alright," he said. "Let us put that aside for now and find the arrays. We could prevent the Crown Princess's forces from gathering if we destroyed those."

"Very well," Lauren agreed. She looked at all the Aureole members with them and declared, "You might feel things are happening way too fast, or the situation has escalated suddenly. However, that is not entirely true."

She paused, looking at them meaningfully before continuing, "The current situation has started much earlier than we know. You are aware that we are up against the Royal Family. And I understand some of you have doubts on why we are making a move against them."

The expressions on most of the members turned solemn upon hearing Lauren's words. What she said was true. There were only a few members with Lauren and Olivia when they dealt with the spy. Most of the members who rendezvoused with them after that did not know what was really happening.

However, they did not ask questions because they believed in Lauren and Olivia. They knew they would never make a move without a valid reason.

In any case, they were aware of some conspiracies in the empire. Although the Royal Army's Grand Marshal seemed to be cooking up a rebellion against the Royal Family, they knew the latter's influence and power were not as dead as most believed.

The appearance of the Archmagus was one proof of it.

"But even if you doubt, I want to thank you for trusting us. Rest assured; we are not waging war by ourselves."

Lauren paused and looked at the Regis Estate's walls.

"You probably guessed it already, but the ones who started it all are the Regis Clan."

Lauren looked at them again, and seeing their unfazed gazes, she let out a wry smile.

"We all know how the Regis Clan operates," she continued. "Some of us had worked alongside them in the past. They would never start something with an ulterior motive.

"They started this because they only wanted to protect one of their own."

Lauren looked at Silas before looking at Byron, "Is it alright to tell them who your master is?"

Silas solemnly looked at her before turning to Byron.

On the other hand, Byron seemed to have recovered his dignified self and looked at Lauren solemnly. He said, "My master did not want to cause panic when he decided to hide his identity. But with how things are now, it is no longer a thought he has to worry."

Lauren nodded, "That is right. The whole empire is now aware of the war happening among different factions. They may not understand the whole situation, but it will only be a matter of time before they know everything."

She took a deep breath and looked at Olivia with a slight smile.

"Do you want to tell them yourself?"

Olivia glared at her but did not decline. She looked at the rest and said, "Before anything else, know that I am the one who decided to take sides. Of course, I did not want the whole of Aureole to be involved. However, the situation is different now.

"Anyway, you can blame it on me if worse comes to worst. As for who we have taken sides," she smiled wryly. "Obviously, we took the Regis Clan's side in this war. But you have to know one thing. The person they want to protect is someone who inherited the most feared forbidden magic in history, Void."

Gasps of surprise escaped most of the Aureole members. They were not expecting that the war started because the Regis Clan wanted to protect a forbidden magic user.

Lauren and Olivia let this information sink in first before saying anything further.

Byron and Silas also looked at the rest in silence. Both decided that if these members decided to back out, they would not stop them. Nevertheless, they would not let them go because they could not let them become an addition to the Crown Princess's forces.

Of course, they might not exactly join her side, but she was the Soul Emperor. She had ways to make others join her cause without even speaking.

In the end, none of the Aureole members said a thing. Their expressions turned solemn as if they were finally understanding why the scale of the war had gotten to the point that the Royal Family had to deploy all of their forces.

Lauren smiled after seeing the resolve reflected in the eyes of each Aureole member. She said, "With this said, we might end up dead without us knowing, but I believe the Regis Clan will not let us suffer just like that. We will receive ample support, so all of you can rest assure."

"Ah... that is..." Silas started. However, he stopped short after realizing Lauren had said this just to assure her people.

"Our goal is simple," Lauren continued. "We will look for the arrays and stop the Royal Family's forces from gathering here.

"If you encounter a mage, who you believe is far stronger than me or Olivia, report your position immediately. The Regis Clan will arrange support as soon as possible."

Silas finally understood what Lauren meant about them receiving ample support. Instead of saying that Kyran would assist them, she involved the whole Regis Clan. Doing so removed some of their doubts about the latter's involvement and reduced their apprehension about Kyran's identity as a forbidden magic user.

"If you do not have any other questions, form into your teams now, and go."

"Yes, Lady Lauren!"