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After Ember Killian and Astoria Braveheart joined Helia Ashenborn in the Great Hall and took their seat at the long table, they waited for the servants to bring out the food from the kitchen.

Nevertheless, Ember and Helia could see that Astoria’s mind was not with them.

“Are you still thinking about the Vaan Raphna and Vahn Cadieux, Headmaster Astoria?” Ember calmly inquired before her lips curved into a smile as she teased, “Your obsession with a single man makes you seem like a maiden in love.”

“A maiden in love, huh?” Astoria cracked a wry smile and thoughtfully said, “Perhaps you are right, Marquis Ember. I’ve never been so fixated on a man before. But it’s hard not to be.”

“Not only did Teacher Raphna’s notes contain spell revisions and optimizations, but he also explored witch cultivation, laying out a firm foundation of magic knowledge all the way to the High Witch rank.”

“You and I could be considered one of the few pioneers who managed to reach the rank of High Witch through our own trials and errors in exploring the truth of magic. Our efforts have got us far in life, but we must face the reality of our situation; we have all hit a bottleneck.”

“Not a single High Witch has advanced to the middle stage or beyond. We have all been stuck at the early stage for the past hundred years.”

“At our level, blindly exploring the path ahead is like walking blindfolded through a hazy region filled with explosive mines. One wrong step and a single explosion will set off the rest, forfeiting our lives. We have already lost over three dozen good High Witches in the past hundred years for trying to advance to the middle stage.”

Advancing to higher ranks was a dangerous endeavor. Such was the way of the world.

While the existence of mana had evolved the human race, granting them unimaginable powers and long lifespans, it also gave birth to new terrifying dangers or evolved existing ones to match them.

It was as if the universe invoked the law of causality to suppress the human race so they couldn’t grow uncontrollably like cancer.

“In the past, I was also unclear about the path ahead like everyone else. But after reading through Teacher Raphna’s notes, I feel like I know the way now,” Astoria stated. “Can you believe it? A man who cannot use magic knows even more about magic than us.”

“Headmaster Astoria, you… you’re not planning to take the next step, are you?” Ember asked with a startled look before she added, “I would hate to lose another High Witch and friend like you.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Marquis Ember,” Astoria calmly replied.

“Naturally, taking the next step is no joking matter. I wouldn’t gamble with my life like that. I still need to further research my path forward. If only I could consult Teacher Raphna, I would more likely gain more insights in one session than in a year of self-study.”

“That’s why Vahn Cadieux’s name sort of sticks to me. While name variations of Varan are pretty common, it’s only so among the noble households. As for commoner households, not so much. There must be something special about Vahn Cadieux.”

“My sixth sense is telling me so,” Astoria stated.

“Your sixth sense, huh?” Ember smiled wryly and said, “We High Witches have indeed started developing such a sense upon reaching this rank, but it’s not very reliable, Headmaster Astoria. At the very least, that name isn’t giving me any reaction with my sixth sense.”

“If I may, I agree with what Headmaster Astoria said,” Helia suddenly interrupted and said, “Vahn Cadieux is indeed someone special.”

“I shouldn’t be saying this since it’s meant to be a secret… But Vahn Cadieux is someone especially groomed by the Delarosa Household to be Marquis Delarosa’s eldest daughter’s husband. Thus, it’s no surprise if he was given a name variation of someone monstrously powerful like Emperor Varan.”

“That said, I’m more interested in Vaan Raphna’s background. Someone with such terrifying learning potential and knowledge must have a rather remarkable physique or talent and come from some very well-known noble household.”

“However, I haven’t heard of any prestigious noble household by the name of Raphna. Furthermore, I can’t guess what the attribute of such talent or physique is, especially when we don’t even know if his wealth of knowledge is a result of a special physique or talent,” Helia added.

…

…

…

As Lord Helia, Marquis Ember, and Headmaster Astoria had their discussion over breakfast, Hester had gone into the city with a group of retinues to carry out the enlistment.

The market square was filled with street stalls, but they were quickly cleared out for the enlistment process once the news was spread.

Several booths were quickly set up around a large platform, which had been set up a day earlier.

“Those who wish to join the Red Goblin Mountains’ expedition with Lord Helia and the Grand Inquisitor, line up in front of a booth if you want to sign up!” Hester announced in a resounding voice that everyone in the market square could hear.

She did not waste her breath on providing additional information regarding recruitment and wage. Such information had been released a day prior.

In a short instance, the market square was quickly filled up with hundreds of interested Senior Witches and Aura Masters.

“Quickly, the expedition enlistment has already started! If we’re slow, others will take up all the slots!” a Mid Rank 2 Aura Master hollered to his mates.

However, another Mid Rank 2 Aura Master shook his head and nonchalantly said, “There’s no need to rush. Even if the slots are taken up, there’s no guarantee that the early birds will keep their spots.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” the first Mid Rank 2 Aura Master paused with confusion.

“Did you forget the latter half of yesterday’s announcement? Lord Helia only wants the strongest mercenaries on the expedition. A battle platform was set up in the market square. No doubt, people that arrive late will be given chances to compete with others for the spots.”

“This…”

The Mid Rank 2 Aura Master was stunned by the news.

…

Inside a room on the second floor of Peaceful Gentlemen Inn, clothes were scattered over the floor.

Vaan and Dahlia lay in bed together, enjoying each other’s warmth after finishing a short session of dual practice. Their peace was quickly disturbed by the commotion outside.

In that instance, Vaan’s eyes flickered.

‘It’s time.’