At Eustar’s nonchalant explanation, Laila looked up at him for a moment with a face at a loss for words. His attitude was so casual that for a moment she wondered if he was joking.

“You must be joking.”

Laila replied. She wanted so badly to believe that, she would have rather laughed, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

“Absolutely not.”

At Laila’s firm answer, Eustar smiled, slightly lowering the ends of his eyebrows as if he had expected this.

“But right now, this is the only way.”

He said.

“If we try to find Muge here with just our own strength, it will probably take ten years. If we lose Muge, we’ll be in danger too. You know that. And moment by moment… even as we’re talking like this, Muge could be dying.”

Laila felt her heart sink as she watched Eustar clench the magical tool in his palm as if putting it into his hand. He’s made up his mind. Laila thought.

Whether I agree or not, Eustar has decided to convince me and use up his own life to find Olga.

“Then use my life instead.”

Laila said. But before she could finish her sentence, Eustar immediately shook his head as if he had expected this.

“That’s not possible. I can’t allow that.”

“Why? It’s okay to use up your life but not mine? There’s no reason for that.”

“There is a reason.”

Laila furrowed her brow and stiffened her shoulders. She looked at Eustar with challenging eyes as if daring him to explain, glinting with the determination not to accept anything less than a convincing explanation.

Eustar gently placed his hand on Laila’s shoulder, which had frozen stiff.

“It’s because of the Deceptor, Laila.”

As his body heat passed through her shoulder and caressed her nape, Laila felt the strength drain from her body.

This isn’t right. Laila thought. The fact that the Deceptor was involved made it even more unacceptable.

She would rather perform the summoning herself. But for some reason, her voice wouldn’t come out. It felt like something soft and squishy was blocking her throat.

Not only that, she quickly realized that her body, drained of strength, wasn’t responding. She could only blink her eyes and move her lips slightly, but even lifting a finger was difficult.

It felt as if all her muscles were refusing to move at once. Or as if wet cotton balls were hanging from each nerve fiber.

Eustar’s lips touched Laila’s forehead, which couldn’t move. Even that sensation was very strange. It felt unreal, as if she was watching something happening far away.

There was definitely a warmth felt when Eustar’s lips pressed against her, but when he removed them, Laila felt an emptiness as if her senses had separated from her body and pulled away.

“I’m sorry, Laila. For using this method. But don’t worry. The Deceptor won’t let my life be completely consumed here. Because this is a place he can’t enter. If I die in a place where he’s not present, he won’t be able to collect my soul. To prevent my soul from being trapped in this city… no matter how much of my life is shaved away, I definitely won’t die.”

That’s not the issue. Laila screamed in silent protest. That wasn’t the issue. The problem was not knowing how much his life would be reduced. She couldn’t be satisfied or relieved just because he wouldn’t die here.

Seeing Laila’s brow furrow, Eustar smiled gently and added.

“And I won’t use that much life force. Neither you, nor I, nor probably even the Deceptor knows the full extent of my lifespan. Only God would know… Unless He has decided to end my life before the next new moon, I’ll be fine. It’s only for now. I promise I won’t restrain you like this or act on my own again. I swear… for the rest of my life.”

Eustar slowly opened his palm that had been holding the magical tool. The crescent-shaped fragment floated in the air, and his palm stopped, curved as if grasping an invisible ball.

Laila could feel the intense energy emanating from the fragment. She could sense its fluctuations, its waves.

Like a fierce beast forcibly caged in a small enclosure, the energy trying to burst out was screaming, blocked by Eustar.

Laila felt a shudder-like fear welling up from deep within her soul.

She could instinctively tell how dangerous the small, crude crescent-shaped fragment Eustar was holding was, now floating in the air and beginning to emit an ominous five-colored light.

It was certainly capable of swallowing human life force. It could probably swallow any energy existing in the vicinity indiscriminately. Just like…

‘Like a sink.’

Eustar’s feet, now retreated to a distance just out of Laila’s reach even if she stretched out her arm, lifted off the ground.

Now his face was no longer visible. The light flowing from the magical tool covered Eustar’s face like a veil. His head was enveloped in light…

“Open your eyes and see what you wish to see.”

The moment Eustar’s words ended, the light that had converged into a single point exploded outward, spreading throughout the entire tower.

Ord’s order was relayed from Mel to Galen, and then from Galen to the branch leaders of each branch.

Everyone was perplexed by the order to find Laila and Eustar. Moreover, when they learned that it was an order issued by Ord, their bewilderment took even deeper root.

Byron, the branch leader of Romul, heard from a member of the 2nd branch that Muge, Eustar, and Laila had left for the city of magicians a few days ago, and summoned all branch leaders to the headquarters.

While the portal opened and closed several times, Galen, who heard about Eustar’s destination from Byron, who arrived first, turned pale.

Felix, who arrived last, ruffled his carelessly tied red hair and raised his voice.

“What’s all this about? Huh? What happened to His Royal Highness and Lady Kristrad, and even Muge Olga?”

“Be quiet, Felix. This is the royal palace.”

Byron rebuked in a low voice, but Felix seemed unable to calm his excitement.

“Even if it’s about Olga, why would His Royal Highness and Lady Kristrad go to such a place! We must bring them back immediately! Who knows what those magicians might do!”

“Branch Leader Felix!”

Byron’s voice finally rose. Felix flinched and closed his mouth, but his momentum didn’t subside. His face reddened, seething with hostility towards magicians, especially those residing in the ‘city’.

The Marnak branch leader of Adiak offered a short prayer and said,

“Since His Majesty has given us orders, shouldn’t we meet with His Majesty?”

Byron said,

“We don’t know what state His Majesty is in yet. Galen, do you know anything?”

Then Galen, Eustar’s aide, shook his head with an anxious expression.

“I only heard about it as well.”

Jimius asked again,

“From whom? From Baso?”

“No, Branch Leader. Now that you mention it, I found it strange that the Head Chamberlain was nowhere to be seen. The person who relayed His Majesty’s order to me earlier was a maid serving Lady Kristrad.”

The expressions of the branch leaders grew serious. However, they couldn’t just stand there pondering forever. Finally, Byron, the eldest, made a decision.

“Let’s see His Majesty first. When His Royal Highness, Lady Kristrad, and Branch Leader Olga went to the city of magicians, why they went there…”

“His Majesty wouldn’t know such things.”

Felix objected, but Byron shook his head.

“No, I think differently. His Majesty seems to know something. Galen, lead the way.”

Galen, unable to hide his worried expression, led the branch leaders towards the king’s quarters. As they passed through the corridor, people who recognized the branch leaders of Tentinella could be heard whispering anxiously.

Felix muttered quietly,

“Everyone’s so scared. Do they think misfortune will spread just by looking at our faces?”

Then Marnak, who was of priestly origin, gently soothed Felix.

“Branch Leader Felix, that’s not it. They’re not wary of us, but since it’s rare for branch leaders to gather in one place, they’re probably concerned that something serious has happened.”

“Branch Leader Marnak, you have such a broad mind. I’m short, so maybe that’s why I’m narrow-minded, but I want to punch those whispering behind our backs.”

Byron chided him.

“Grow up, Felix. How can a branch leader of Tentinella still be so immature? Who do you think your members follow and trust?”

“It’s not that I’m immature, it’s just that whispering behind our backs is wrong.”

“Shh, be quiet. We’re at His Majesty’s quarters.”

What tune am I supposed to dance to? Felix grumbled inwardly. The bitter smell permeating the corridor as soon as they entered was unfamiliar. While Galen called a servant to relay the message, Branch Leader Jimius had the worst expression.

“Branch Leader, are you alright?”

Marnak asked worriedly, touching her shoulder. Jimius’s body, which had been stiff as if she had seen a ghost, finally relaxed a bit, and color returned to her cheeks, which had been as white as plaster.

Jimius patted Marnak’s hand on her shoulder and nodded.

“I’m fine. Since becoming a branch leader of Tentinella… this is the first time I’m seeing His Majesty. That’s why I’m nervous.”

Marnak looked worried. At that moment, the servant who had gone inside came out and whispered something to Galen.

Galen turned to the branch leaders and said,

“His Majesty says to come in.”

Not only Galen who relayed the message, but also the branch leaders waiting, felt the same awkwardness and embarrassment for a moment, though they didn’t express it out loud.

Even though they had seen the sick Ord before, it was inexplicable why entering his bedroom to have an audience with him felt so uncomfortable.

“Please enter.”

The waiting servant said, pulling the door open a bit more, and they could no longer stand still. Felix, the shortest, pushed past Byron who was standing at the front and thrust his foot into the bedroom.

“Standing here like this won’t solve anything! Since His Majesty called us, let’s go in quickly and see!”