Evan had spent quite some time investigating the Blue Sun.
Its essence wasn’t much different from a mana core.
However, there was one key distinction.
‘This… this indescribably vast flow of mana.’
It carried an immense energy and a stable flow of mana that ordinary mana cores couldn’t replicate.
It made Evan wonder if this was what a perfectly completed mana core would feel like.
But he shook his head.
‘No, that experiment was definitely trying to create a mana core. And this must be the result.’
He belatedly turned his gaze back to the boss room.
The altar and the magic circle inside the room had completely disappeared.
It seemed that once the mana core was formed, those things vanished naturally.
‘…So nothing was left behind?’
All that remained was the black crystal retrieved from the goblin test subject.
As for uncovering anything more… there was currently no way to do that.
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
***
After a moment of contemplation, Evan decided to refocus on his next plan.
‘At any rate, this is still a mana core. No… it’s far more stable and complete than any I’ve seen. That means I can expect better results from it.’
This was good news for Evan.
‘The Mage Tower runs on mana cores, doesn’t it? Then just how powerful could the tower become with this one?’
From this point on, how this item would be used depended entirely on the mage’s skill.
To utilize a mana core properly, a highly skilled magician was essential.
After all, mana released from a core was lethal to an ordinary human.
In other words, unless one was highly proficient in magic, the core was difficult to handle.
‘Especially this one—it’s far more powerful than any mana core I’ve ever seen. There’s no telling what might happen.’
With an unexpected gain in his hands, Evan chuckled softly and turned away.
The mana core was secured.
All that was left now was to contact the buyer.
Evan left the goblin settlement in Alan’s care and returned to the mansion with Reynold.
Back home, Evan obtained a high-quality magic parchment and a pen through Alburton.
‘The contents must remain confidential. Only Marquis Armeria should be able to see it.’
That’s why he had prepared this special magic parchment.
‘According to Alburton, once it’s sealed, the parchment will automatically self-destruct five minutes after it’s unsealed.’
He said he paid five gold for just one sheet.
Evan immediately began writing on the parchment.
‘First, I need to write something that will spark Marquis Armeria’s interest…’
When it came to piquing a magician’s curiosity, there was only one obvious topic:
An ancient magic circle discovered in ancient ruins.
Even in his previous world, the Magic Association had shown great interest in information about ancient magic circles.
Of course, even when they were discovered, no one knew what they were used for—so only written records were made.
‘Still, any true magician would be intrigued.’
Recalling from memory, Evan drew a few magic circles and added some stories related to the Mage Tower.
‘This should seem mysterious enough. And the marquis is known to be an eccentric obsessed with magical research, so he’s sure to respond.’
He listed the sender as the Kerthen family and made it look like the Kerthen House was behind this action.
‘If I say I acted alone, he’ll question the source of the information.’
And with good reason—Evan had previously been nothing but an incompetent troublemaker.
It was better to make it appear as if this was an official move by the family.
Once he finished writing, Evan rolled up the parchment.
The moment he did, the magic parchment sealed itself automatically.
‘Now for the final touches.’
He dripped red wax onto the scroll for an additional external seal and firmly pressed his ring into it.
A crest appeared—two crossed swords and a shield—the emblem of House Kerthen.
It served as the official seal of the family.
All noble children possessed one.
Among nobles, such seals were essential for correspondence.
Once everything was ready, Evan called for Alburton.
Worry was written all over Alburton’s face.
“Young master… I can’t check the contents of the letter. Are you certain this is alright?”
In the past, Evan had only ever sent letters to low-level thugs, so the contents never mattered.
But this time was different.
The recipient was none other than Marquis Armeria, a member of a renowned magical family.
Though the house had fallen into decline, they were not people to be taken lightly.
“Alburton, what could possibly be the issue? There’s nothing too sensitive in it. Magicians already know a lot about mana, don’t they?”
All Evan was doing was requesting aid from the Armeria family in obtaining mana.
“That may be true, but I can’t guarantee they’ll respond favorably.”
“Don’t worry about that. If they refuse, then that’s that. I didn’t write anything offensive.
If any problem arises, I’ll take full responsibility. Just hurry and send it off.”
“…Yes, young master.”
Alburton had no choice but to accept the sealed magic parchment Evan handed him.
The head of the household was away on urgent business and not at the mansion.
That meant Alburton had to make a judgment call on his own.
‘Still, the lord did say to support the young master’s decisions as much as possible.’
It was clear that the head of the house had noticed Evan’s recent changes.
Alburton himself had started to notice them as well.
But to him, Evan still felt like a reckless child.
Conflicted between worry and hope, he reminded himself of his role.
As a butler, his duty was to fulfill his master’s orders.
‘Once he’s made up his mind, no one can stop him anyway.’
Just as he was carefully securing the letter, a thought came to him, and he spoke up.
“Young master, there’s something I should mention in advance, just in case. The master said that Lady Second Madam and Young Master Hilton will be visiting soon, and that a family dinner will be held when they arrive.”
Better to give Evan a heads-up than let it come as a surprise.
Alburton judged that it was best to prepare the young master mentally in advance.
“It’s true that the young master hasn’t seen the head of the family since his coming-of-age ceremony.”
Evan’s expression froze for a moment.
“What? A family dinner?”
Alburton nodded as if he had expected that reaction.
“Yes. Since it’s a meeting with the head of the family, you might want to prepare yourself…”
But that was merely Alburton’s misunderstanding.
What Evan had actually focused on was the fact that Hilton and Heres were returning.
They were the ones who had tried to poison him.
‘Their return could limit what I’ve been doing.’
He might have to revise his entire plan.
Evan maintained his composure and asked Alburton, “A family dinner? Sure, whatever. Actually, this works out. I needed to talk to them anyway. When exactly are Heres and Hilton supposed to arrive?”
Alburton looked surprised.
He hadn’t expected Evan to remain so calm and regain his composure so quickly.
“If things go smoothly, the second madam and Hilton should arrive within three to five days.”
“That soon, huh? Faster than I thought.”
Evan felt the pressure building.
He had to take care of everything before they arrived.
“Alburton. I don’t care how much it costs—send that letter today.”
After giving that instruction, Evan quickly headed out toward the goblin village.
‘I need to level up immediately.’
Once Heres and Hilton confirmed Evan was alive, who knew what they might try next?
‘They might even start tailing me. I’ll have to stay alert for a while.’
Evan resolved to make the most of the remaining time.
***
A large library.
The walls were completely lined with bookshelves.
Thick tomes and papers covered in magic circles were scattered messily across the floor.
At the center of the chaos, a middle-aged man sat hunched over, his elbows resting on the desk, clutching his head in frustration.
Curly black hair, a thick black beard.
Crimson eyes gave him an aura of mystique.
His name was Darwen Armeria.
The current head of House Armeria.
‘This level isn’t nearly enough… I need more…’
He was deep in thought.
Studying the ancient records left by his predecessors, he tried to unravel their magic.
Most of the spells they had mastered were beyond anything of the present era.
Even reaching the level of their footsteps would be a monumental achievement.
But after the bloodline had thinned, everything fell into obscurity.
“Damn those Imperial bastards…”
He muttered under his breath, seething with anger.
Just then, someone knocked on the library door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Father. I’m coming in.”
A soft voice called from outside, followed by the door creaking open.
A girl stepped into the room.
Her long black hair shimmered as it swayed, and her crimson eyes matched Darwen’s.
Though the slight upward slant of her eyes gave her a cold impression, her face showed genuine concern.
She was the eldest daughter of House Armeria.
“Elisa? What brings you here at this hour? I told you the magic research sessions are postponed for now.”
“Yes, but a letter came addressed to you, Father. It seemed urgent.”
“A letter? There’s no one left who would bother contacting me…”
Most of his mage allies had either left the guild or withdrawn entirely.
The guild’s operations had virtually come to a halt.
The marquess house was steadily losing its strength.
He couldn’t imagine anyone still having business with him.
With doubt in his eyes, Darwen accepted the rolled parchment Elisa handed him.
“The sender insisted it was urgent. Their messenger is waiting in the drawing room for your reply today.”
Darwen clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“What? They want an answer today? How rude…”
‘Was it truly something that urgent?’
More than that, he was curious who had the audacity to demand an immediate reply.
As he looked closely at the parchment, his eyes narrowed.
‘A magical parchment? What kind of letter is this?’
Suspicious, he turned his gaze toward the seal.
The emblem stamped in wax was unfamiliar—but vaguely recognizable.
‘This crest… Is it the Kerthen Count family?’
One of the four pillars of the kingdom—renowned as a prestigious knightly household.
The current Count Kerthen was even known to have reached the level of Swordmaster.
In terms of actual influence, their power was second only to the ducal houses.
‘This makes no sense.’
There was no connection between their two families.
‘Why would he receive such an urgent letter from them?’
Then a memory flashed in Darwen’s mind, and he frowned.
“Elisa, this letter is for me, isn’t it? If this is another one of those ridiculous marriage proposals like last time, refuse it immediately.”
Elisa was now seventeen—an age where talks of engagement and political marriage often began.
Thanks to her striking looks, she received no shortage of offers.
But Elisa shook her head.
“This one is definitely addressed to you, Father. And if it were a marriage proposal, they wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of using a magical parchment. Besides, I’ve never even met anyone from that household before.”
“I see. Then go on. Leave me for now.”
***
After Elisa left, Darwen turned his attention back to the letter.
‘If it were something trivial, they wouldn’t have gone this far. And they said it was urgent.’
Without hesitation, he broke the wax seal with a flick of his thumb.
He unrolled the magical parchment and began to read its contents.
As he neared the end, Darwen’s pupils began to tremble violently.
‘This… this can’t be real! Who could have written this…?’
What was written in the letter was utterly shocking.
Darwen shot to his feet.