The female mage Vivian had emptied her bag. She looked pitifully at Du Wei, nervously twisting the limp, empty cloth pouch in her hands. There was clearly nothing left inside.

“Th-this is a-all I have,” Vivian stammered. She truly had nothing else to take out.

Sorskya, standing beside them, wanted to seize Du Wei by the neck and make him nod his agreement at once.

A medium-grade aquamarine orchid diamond, a large packet of mana-restoring elixir, a handful of high-quality magical beast cores... and more than a dozen scrolls inscribed with intermediate magic!

Such items would make any high-level mage on the continent envious. Mages might be famously wealthy, but a fortune this large was still exceptionally rare.

If Du Wei did not agree now, what if something unexpected happened? An eighth-level mage was not someone to provoke.

This girl looked foolish and honest, but if they truly angered her into fighting, an eighth-level mage could probably annihilate all of them without difficulty.

Yet she seemed to possess no awareness at all of being powerful. If she had even a trace of unreasonable temper, one high-level spell would wipe out their battered group.

Even if the girl was a fool... bullying a Grand Mage this badly might bring trouble later.

Thank the gods, just as Sorskya was about to lose his mind, Du Wei finally nodded. He even remained perfectly composed. “Honored Mage, I can feel your sincerity. I believe my subordinates are very satisfied with the terms you have offered.”

Du Wei gave a look. Relieved, Sorskya hurried forward and practically snatched the “compensation” from the female mage’s hands. His eyes bulged as he rapidly stuffed the magical materials into a large bag he carried, clutched it tightly, and wore the expression of a miser guarding his treasure. If anyone tried to touch that bag now, the mage would surely fight them to the death.

“Th-then can you r-release Chirpy?” Vivian looked pleadingly at Du Wei. Her innocent large eyes and flawless angelic face made it difficult to continue troubling her.

“Oh, my subordinates may be satisfied with your compensation... but I personally still have one small additional condition,” Du Wei said calmly.

“B-but I have n-nothing left...” The female mage panicked. She quickly turned out her pockets and shook them hard to prove that she was penniless.

“No, no. I am not asking for material compensation.” Du Wei finally revealed his sinister intention. “You are an eighth-level mage, correct? Grand Mages are exceedingly rare in the Empire, especially someone like you. I have never heard of a lady so young possessing a Grand Mage’s badge. Oh, please do not misunderstand. What I mean is... I am extremely curious about magic and deeply interested in it. I yearn for the brilliant and magnificent culture of magic, and I have spent a great deal of effort studying the art. As you can see, I have even retained a mage as my magic consultant.”

Du Wei pointed toward Sorskya, whose ten fingers still gripped the bag as he wore a miser’s expression.

Then Du Wei deliberately sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, although my magic consultant has taught me diligently, his level is too limited for me to gain much more knowledge from him. So meeting you here today—an eighth-level Grand Mage—is an extraordinary honor. Oh, although your pet frightened me, in consideration of an outstanding mage such as yourself, I naturally will not pursue such a minor matter any further.”

Poor, innocent Vivian felt that her mind could barely keep up. Moments ago, this young noble had seemed terrifying, viciously extorting her entire fortune... But she had been in the wrong. Vivian had considered using magic to take Chirpy back, but since childhood she had been taught to uphold fairness and kindness and to treat others well. A sheltered girl who had scarcely ever left home found it difficult even to conceive of doing something wicked.

So she had obediently surrendered her entire fortune, unaware that one ruthless spell would have solved the problem.

This young noble had truly been frightening before. Yet now he spoke of his longing for magic and tireless study with such sincerity; his expression, eyes, and voice were so earnest.

He had even said he would “not pursue the matter of being frightened.” Oh, gods, what a merciful person! The excessively simple-minded female mage immediately forgot that he had just extorted all her possessions. “Th-th-thank you for your g-generosity.”

“No, no. I have not finished.” Du Wei sighed. “I have always prayed to meet a powerful mage who might offer a little guidance to this lost lamb on the path of magic. Now I have finally met you... Kind Honored Mage, would you be willing to give a little guidance to someone who sincerely wishes to learn magic?”

“...Eh?” The female mage felt that something was not quite right, but looking into Du Wei’s earnest eyes, she could not identify what it was.

Oh, what a kind and lovable person! And her teacher’s pet had frightened him earlier. That was her fault too.

But...

“Y-you want to learn m-magic, b-but I must take Chirpy b-back... I-I am afraid...” The female mage looked troubled.

“No, you misunderstand.” Du Wei smiled, his expression even more sincere and his eyes more ardent. “I naturally understand that a Grand Mage’s time is more precious than gold. Your valuable time should be spent studying the mysteries of magic. How could it be wasted on a common noble like me? I ask very little—only a little appropriate guidance. As you see, I already have a mage serving as my consultant. His ability may be limited, but he can answer most of my questions. What I need now is more advanced knowledge, such as...” Du Wei’s eyes turned, and he smiled faintly. “A few higher-level incantations.”

Sorskya was stunned.

He had never imagined Du Wei’s appetite would be so enormous.

If magical materials were a mage’s wealth, then magical incantations were a mage’s life!

Every mage spent a lifetime studying incantations. They would never casually teach the results of that research to anyone.

Every magical book in the Empire recorded only general magical knowledge. Not even half an incantation would ever be allowed to circulate.

Any incantation, even the lowest-level one, could be passed only from a mage directly to a disciple through personal instruction.

What made a high-level mage stronger than a low-level mage, besides magical power and sensitivity, was above all mastery of profound incantations.

Even when using the same spell, a low-level and high-level mage might employ subtle but crucial differences in the incantation itself. Through their research, high-level mages could remove unnecessary syllables, shortening the incantation and increasing casting speed to gain an advantage in battle.

There were also advanced incantations that low-level mages had never mastered.

A low-level mage like Sorskya knew only a few of the most basic incantations. If he wanted to learn advanced magic, he would have to become the disciple of a high-level mage.

He had never expected Du Wei to be greedy enough to demand incantations from this girl. Those were secrets mages absolutely never revealed.

The girl might be excessively innocent, but she was not a fool. How could a fool possibly cultivate to the eighth level?

Hearing Du Wei’s request, even the innocent Vivian looked uncomfortable. She shook her little head repeatedly. “Ah, n-no! A-absolutely not! M-my teacher ordered me never to t-tell incantations to anyone!”

“But this Dread Phantasm is your teacher’s pet, is it not? Your teacher must also have ordered you not to let it escape, correct?” At that moment, Du Wei looked like a criminal tempting a child into wrongdoing.

“...” The female mage was speechless.

“Am I wrong? Your teacher certainly told you to care for this creature, yet you violated that order. Your teacher surely told you not to let it escape, and you violated that too. Now I ask only this tiny favor—and only because I helped you catch it. You have seen how much hardship we endured capturing the creature. I personally suffered a terrible fright. Is it not right that you compensate me for your earlier mistake?”

Vivian might be a genius, but her genius was apparently confined to magical talent. In every other respect, the girl was badly lacking. Du Wei’s logic and theories nearly made her dizzy.

She weighed her teacher’s command to guard the pet against the command never to reveal incantations, turning the two back and forth in her mind for a long time. Finally, she cried.

The innocent girl began crying again. Through her tears she said, “A-all right... b-but I can only teach you o-one.”

“Oh, you said o-one.” As Du Wei spoke, he rapidly raised finger after finger. “Let me count. Four in total, correct?”

“N-no, that is wrong!” The female mage panicked and protested loudly. “N-not f-four. O-one, one, one...”

The more anxious she became, the more the word “one” refused to end. Every time another “one” escaped her lips, Du Wei immediately raised another finger.

Vivian became so frantic that she nearly bit her tongue. When all ten of Du Wei’s fingers were raised—and he seemed ready to start counting toes—she suddenly had an inspiration and shouted, “S-stop!”

Seeing the adorable girl flushed scarlet, Du Wei did not dare push her too far. After a final round of bargaining, they settled on six magical incantations.

The female mage argued fiercely against such a terrible bargain, but her tongue was nowhere near as nimble as Du Wei’s. Her eloquence was poor, her thinking simple, and most importantly, she stuttered. How could she possibly outargue him?

Helplessly, she could only wipe away tears in secret.

Oh, honored teacher, please forgive poor Vivian for disobeying your command. I am only trying to recover your beloved pet. I must break your second command to fulfill the first... Is that right or wrong?

“I am a noble and you are a mage. We are both people of standing. A promise cannot be changed casually once made. I suggest that we both swear an oath until our agreement has been fulfilled.”

Without waiting for the female mage to object, Du Wei immediately swore a solemn oath to the great God of Light.

With no alternative, she swore as well. To Du Wei’s surprise, the honest girl even cast contract magic during the oath, ensuring that their agreement had to be fulfilled.

Though the girl stuttered in ordinary speech, she recited incantations at an astonishing speed!

A string of profound, difficult words poured from her mouth like beans rattling in a pan—rapid yet clear. Though she spoke incredibly fast, every syllable was distinct.

It was hard to imagine that a girl who chanted so quickly could stutter when speaking.

It was worth noting that even at the end, poor Vivian never showed the slightest intention of resisting Du Wei with force.

What kind of teacher could possibly have raised a girl this frighteningly innocent?

The Rowling guards remained silent as their young master extorted the pitiful girl. They had suffered greatly from the phantasm, so despite her innocent appearance, none spoke for her. Only Knight Robert felt uneasy. As a believer in knightly honor, he disapproved of Du Wei extorting a young girl, but as a family retainer, he could not readily object to his master’s conduct.

And besides... did their master not fear trouble from treating an eighth-level mage this way?

Knight Robert’s concern soon became reality.

Having agreed to teach Du Wei six incantations, the female mage had no choice but to travel back to Halfhorn City with him.

After signing the unequal agreement, she racked her brain over which six incantations to teach Du Wei. Naturally, it would be best to choose unimportant ones.

One could hardly blame such an innocent girl for entertaining her first dishonest thought. After being extorted by a demon like Du Wei, even an angel might learn a little cunning.

She thought about it throughout the journey but could not decide. With no other choice, she remained beside Du Wei and continued considering.

Fortunately, her teacher would not return for several days. She only had to finish this before then. But she absolutely must not let her sister find her!

Once this was resolved, she could return to her teacher’s house. The outside world was terrifying. Were all outsiders as frightening as this young noble?

Oh, merciful gods, poor Vivian did not mean to speak ill of anyone behind his back. May the gods forgive her... but that young noble truly was terrifying.

Once she returned, she would never come out again!

Sigh, her sister... Surely her sister would not find her so quickly?

The magical beast incident in Halfhorn City was considered resolved. Knight Span felt the greatest relief: the magical beast problem was settled, and the Rowling Family’s young master had suffered no harm.

The process had been embarrassing. Dozens of fully armed soldiers had nearly been wiped out by one small magical beast. But it was a Grand Mage’s pet, so perhaps the incident was not truly shameful.

Now relaxed, Span warmly invited Du Wei’s party to stay at the Halfhorn City garrison commandant’s residence. Its surroundings and accommodations were much better than the inn.

Du Wei accepted. He also wanted a quiet place to discuss fulfillment of the promised incantations with the female mage.

Thus, instead of entering the city, the party went to the local garrison’s fortified camp outside it.

It was a permanent military stronghold, and the local garrison commandant’s residence stood within it. That evening, eager to please the Rowling Family’s young master, Knight Span invited everyone to a generous feast. He even decided without authorization to bring out the commandant’s prized wine from the cellar. Surely the commandant would not blame him for using it to entertain an honored guest of the Rowling Family.

The soldiers and Rowling guards, exhausted after the afternoon, could finally breathe. They drank freely, venting the frustration of their miserable experience.

Du Wei endured Span’s courtesies for a while, then soon found an excuse to retire. In truth, he intended to visit the female mage.

Span knew that someone of Du Wei’s status had already shown him great honor by dining with him. Naturally, he did not dare detain him and rose to see him out...

Suddenly, at that very moment, an earthshaking roar sounded outside the hall!

Under the clear night sky, an enormous bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the air. The deafening thunder shocked everyone several degrees sober.

In the next instant, brilliant light erupted outside the hall. A streak of flame plunged from the horizon and struck the flagpole at the camp entrance with perfect accuracy. With a boom, the pole became a mass of fire and burned to ash!

As everyone stared in shock, a cold voice sounded from every direction at once.

It seemed to come from far away, yet also to speak beside their ears. It was a woman’s voice, cold beyond measure.

“Vivian! My dear sister, how much farther do you intend to run? Hand over the Dread Phantasm at once!”