Chapter 18: Darwen’s Divine Luck

“A magic contract, huh? And quite a high-ranking one at that.”

A magic contract was a binding agreement enforced through mana.

It wasn’t something people normally used unless it was a matter of great importance.

Darwen picked up the magic contract Evan had handed him and slowly read through the terms.

“…All information is strictly confidential. If you use this knowledge for unfair gain or disclose it without Evan’s permission, all your rights as a human will be forfeited to him. What is this—basically telling me to become a slave?”

Darwen narrowed his eyes in disbelief as he glared at Evan.

It wasn’t a difficult clause to follow since it was about confidentiality, but it still offended him.

If this were a truly critical matter, such extreme terms might be understandable—but if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t let this slide.

Evan, meeting Darwen’s eyes, calmly responded.

“Yes. If you’re offended, I apologize. But I believe you should make this promise first, Lord Marquess. I’m also taking a considerable risk, so this much is necessary.”

“What exactly are you thinking?”

“It’s nothing special. I simply don’t trust you yet. This is the best precaution I can take.”

Darwen seemed deep in thought for a moment before he finally signed the contract.

If Evan had gone this far to prepare, Darwen couldn’t just ignore it.

“Ahem. Very well. I’ll make sure to keep everything we discuss here confidential.”

“Truly, thank you. Then let me get straight to the point.”

Evan pulled out another magic contract from inside his coat and carefully handed it over to Darwen.

Stroking his beard with one hand, Darwen began reading it.

“Another magic contract…? Huh?”

But right from the first line, he saw something unbelievable.

It claimed that a mana spring had been discovered within the Count’s territory.

The statement was so sudden and absurd that it left him momentarily stunned.

It was nothing like what he had expected.

Normally, when someone talked about a Tower Master position, it involved political considerations or the Tower Master position of another country.

But this… this was about discovering an entirely new mana spring, the very foundation of a new magic tower.

It was ridiculous.

“A mana spring was discovered in the Count’s territory?”

Darwen’s expression twisted in disbelief.

“If you’re going to lie, at least make it somewhat believable. You dragged out a magic contract for this prank?”

Eventually, Darwen shouted at Evan in anger.

He had begun to slowly acknowledge that Evan was different from the rumors.

But with this, all his previous impressions were wiped away.

‘Does he really think I’m that stupid? Did he think I’d fall for something like this?’

Clearly, he was just a brainless delinquent after all.

Yet despite the scolding, Evan remained calm and even wore a relaxed expression.

What came out of his mouth was even more audacious.

“I’ve never lied. And if you’re truly not interested, you’re free to walk away.”

His tone made it clear—he didn’t care in the slightest if Darwen left.

A blatant provocation.

“What… what did you just say?”

Where was this baseless confidence coming from?

Darwen forced himself to stay calm and think.

‘What trick is he hiding that makes him so sure of himself? If he’s provoking me like this, then I can’t just walk away.’

He was still a marquess, even if his influence had waned.

There was no way he could just let himself be dismissed and walk away humiliated.

Silently, Darwen glared at Evan and returned to reading the contract.

‘Let’s see how long you can keep that smug face.’

***

After a while, Darwen let out a scoff.

The contract included the ownership of the mana spring and rights to the magic tower.

In exchange, Evan requested several things from him.

Even just glancing at the terms, Darwen could guess Evan’s intentions.

He was trying to pull him in to solve the family’s heir problem.

‘Swear loyalty in exchange for the Tower Master position? The arrogance is astounding.’

And at the very end, the contract didn’t even specify what the punishment would be if either party violated the terms.

That section was left blank, saying only that it would be decided through mutual agreement.

In the earlier confidentiality contract, the punishment had been as severe as becoming a slave.

Evan had claimed he was taking a risk, but now he was being vague with the most important part of the contract?

It was insulting.

That first contract only burdened him with heavy consequences.

‘He’s probably hoping to sweep this part under the rug and wriggle out of it when things fall apart. Not happening.’

Darwen was convinced the mana spring was nothing more than a smokescreen.

***

After finishing the contract, he laid it down on the table and stared straight into Evan’s blue eyes.

“Well, what do you think? I believe it’s a favorable deal for you as well. And I’m confident my family is worth your allegiance.”

Evan’s blue eyes calmly met Darwen’s red ones.

But instead of replying right away, there was a moment of silence between them.

Darwen eventually smirked in disdain.

A brat like Evan would probably panic and back down if pressured enough.

“Tell me, young master. Are you seriously offering this because you believe a mana spring was discovered?”

“Yes.”

“You really think you can deceive a mage’s eyes? I’m giving you one last chance to walk away.”

Darwen, a member of the Kerthen family, offered one final warning.

But Evan didn’t even flinch.

“I have never lied.”

Darwen looked at him and couldn’t help but think this boy was utterly clueless about how the world worked.

It was clear he intended to go through with this to the very end.

Deciding that it was time to teach him a lesson, Darwen made a suggestion.

“Then how about this? I see the penalty clause is left open to negotiation.”

He pointed this out deliberately to corner Evan.

Then he immediately wrote in a new clause himself.

“Why don’t we stake our lives on it? That way, everything’s clear and fair. You’re not going to say you’re not prepared to go that far, are you?”

Darwen smiled faintly and sealed the clause by pressing a fingerprint of blood onto it.

Then he tossed the contract right in front of Evan.

“Go on, sign it. Or tear it up.”

He was curious to see how Evan would respond.

There was no way a mana spring existed.

Claiming something that didn’t exist was absurd.

Surely, Evan would back down and beg for forgiveness now.

There was no way he would risk his life over a lie just for pride—right?

Evan silently picked up the contract and looked it over.

***

A long silence fell between them.

Darwen assumed it was over and started getting ready to leave.

He gave Evan a final warning, almost like lecturing a child.

“I know your family’s succession crisis is urgent, but don’t go dragging others into foolish promises you can’t keep. This isn’t a game, young master. One day, this kind of thing will bite you in the—”

He stopped mid-sentence when Evan looked up at him.

‘Is he… smiling?’

Evan was smiling.

It was the kind of smile that said this is exactly what I was waiting for.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to go this far. I was wondering what punishment clause to use, so thank you.”

Without hesitation, Evan stamped his own bloody fingerprint on the contract.

Flash!

The contract glowed with a blue light and transformed into a semi-transparent document.

[The contract has been sealed.]

“…What?”

Caught completely off guard, Darwen stared at Evan.

“You wrote that clause yourself, didn’t you? With this, I can trust you enough to show you the mana spring.”

‘…He’s insane. Does he think this is some kind of game?! If he breaks the contract, he dies!’

Furious, Darwen shouted, but Evan calmly stood up from his seat.

“Then let’s go see it for yourself.”

***

Evan took Darwen to the goblin settlement.

He briefly introduced the area and led the way.

But the more he explained, the darker Darwen’s expression grew.

‘There’s no way a mana spring would be in a place like this.’

He glared at Evan with a look full of doubt and frustration.

‘This is going to be a real headache.’

He first thought about the terms of the contract and pondered how to handle the situation.

A contract that unintentionally risked his life.

It was, admittedly, his responsibility.

Trying to make a scoundrel come to his senses had backfired—because of the scoundrel’s own foolish behavior.

If things fell apart with the House of Kerthen, this wouldn’t be an ordinary problem.

‘Elisa…’

More than that, he wasn’t alone.

He had a family and a household to protect.

He would have to discuss the matter with Clyd and come up with a plan to deal with Evan.

Of course, once he confirmed what Evan had shown him—and once Clyd took responsibility for the lie Evan told.

As he worried about what lay ahead, Darwin followed behind Evan.

But that didn’t last long.

“W-What in the world…?”

***

When Darwin arrived at the boss room, he had to revise his thoughts.

A shimmering mana core glowed with a brilliant blue light.

His jaw dropped in disbelief.

“This… this can’t be!”

Darwin stared intently at the mana core.

Then, regaining his composure, he stepped closer to it.

‘The Fountain of Mana? Seriously? Why would it be here?’

He kept asking himself question after question internally.

And no wonder—after all, the Fountain of Mana was the dream of every mage.

Darwin squinted slightly and observed the mana core carefully.

‘It looks a little different from what I’ve heard…’

But the energy of mana radiating from it—this endless, vast power—left no doubt in his mind that it was indeed the Fountain of Mana.

No, if it wasn’t, then nothing else could explain it.

“Incredible. I can’t believe it actually exists…”

Darwin had never even considered the possibility of the Fountain of Mana being real.

‘What were the odds of discovering it, across the entire continent?’

And yet, somehow, they had beaten those odds.

And it was located within the territory of Count Kerthen.

“How could such divine luck…!”

Still reeling from amazement, Darwin turned to look at Evan.

No one knew how much he had suffered under pressure from the Mage Tower.

‘How many mages had left him?’

His guild had nearly been forced to shut down.

And now, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had fallen into his lap.

‘Ahem, I’m getting too excited.’

But Darwin quickly calmed himself and began thinking rationally.

‘Come to think of it, the fact that it’s real is a problem in itself.’

‘Why would the Fountain of Mana exist here, in what appeared to be a monster dwelling? And how did Evan even discover it?’

‘Even if I ask, he probably won’t give me an honest answer.’

Darwin found himself intrigued by Evan as a person.

He was nothing like the rumors that called him a scoundrel. On the contrary, he seemed to possess remarkable talent.

He was no longer someone to dismiss—perhaps even someone to be wary of.

Of course, they had made a life-binding contract, so Evan wasn’t an enemy.

Formally, their relationship was that of lord and retainer, bound by contract.

And that relationship brought Darwin no disadvantages at all.

If Evan, tied to the House of Kerthen, were to succeed and become its heir—

Then Darwin’s house would gain the support of the powerful Kerthen family, known as the kingdom’s sword.

That would mean access to immense power.

In that sense, this was an opportunity for mutual benefit—to build a new force within the kingdom.

At that moment, Evan spoke to Darwin.

***

“What do you think?”

Pulled out of his thoughts, Darwin suddenly remembered the mistake he had made.

He bowed his head deeply to Evan and apologized sincerely.

“My lord, please forgive my past rudeness.”

“More importantly, please begin construction on the Mage Tower right away. I won’t be able to return here for some time.”

“Is everything alright?”

“It’s about the succession. My life is currently in danger. I was planning to tell you anyway. I’ll need your help, Marquess.”

As Evan spoke, Darwin sighed and stroked his beard.

‘What a troublesome issue. I’ll need to take care of that first.’

“Alright. We’ll deal with that matter together.”

“And one more thing—I ask that our relationship remain a secret. If even the smallest hint reaches our enemies, it will all be over.”

Darwin responded with a wide smile.

“Don’t worry. I’m well aware of that. I’m also not exactly beloved—there are plenty of forces watching me.”

“Yes. Now is the time to lay low. From now on, I ask that you quietly build your influence in secret, Marquess. I’ll do my best to gather strength within the knights. Once I stabilize my position, your role as Tower Master will be secure as well.”

What they now had to be cautious of were the larger powers.

The high-ranking nobles within the kingdom and the Mage Tower Lords.

All their subordinates, as well as Heres and Hilton, too.

‘This can never be exposed.’

If they found out, there was no doubt—they would attack.

No, they would stop at nothing to claim this place for themselves.

‘They say people even summon undead armies just to protect a mana core.’

Evan remembered what Alan had told him about how precious mana cores were in this world.

People would do anything to protect one.

***

At the moment, Evan was just a fledgling with nothing—while the Marquess of Armeria was just an empty shell.

‘A perfect target for plunder.’

Until the Mage Tower was completed.

Until the defenses were in place, and the location was secure—

They could not afford to be discovered.

Evan frowned.

What worried him most was the construction of the Mage Tower.

“Construction will be difficult. Thankfully, this land is abandoned, and the opposite side is blocked off by treacherous mountains. But it’s still close to the Count’s territory. The guards could find us. Do you have any solutions?”

“Haha! Don’t worry, my lord. If we set up a barrier, no one will be able to detect this place.”

At that moment, Evan realized something he had completely overlooked.

‘Right. Darwin is a 6th-circle mage. I was worrying for no reason.’

At times like this, having a powerful mage on your side was truly reassuring.

“Understood. I’ll entrust everything to you, Marquess. One last thing…”

They had to be mindful of outside attention, and Evan still had to consider how he’d meet with Darwin moving forward.

Even this meeting was bound to be noticed.

‘Heres and Hilton might investigate too. A Marquess visiting a known scoundrel? That’s definitely suspicious.’

He had to take precautions.

He needed a way to continue meeting Darwin naturally from now on.

Darwin, having listened to all of Evan’s concerns, suddenly smiled and said, “If that’s the issue, I have a solution. Leave it to me.”

“What?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll formally notify the Count’s family and pay them a visit. How about we talk then? There’s not enough time to set up the barrier just yet.”

It seemed Darwin had a good plan in mind.

Evan tilted his head slightly and replied, “Is that so? Alright, then. I’ll leave it to you.”

With that, Evan wrapped up his discussion with Darwin and withdrew with all ten of the knights guarding the village.

Left alone, Darwin prepared to begin casting the barrier—but he paused for a moment.

“Still, this Fountain of Mana…”

He scratched his head while staring intently at the mana core.

‘The energy is unbelievable. With this, we could build a Mage Tower like no other in history.’

His red eyes gleamed.

Fwooooom!

Moments later, an enormous magic circle formed beneath Darwin’s feet—large enough to cover the entire goblin village.