So, quick recap!  

Marcel made a mistake, sending himself and co to a place that Allan doesn’t exactly like: home of the Ravencasters, the witch race’s ‘dark horse’. Allan tries to make the best of the situation by going shopping alone when... things don’t go exactly his way, so he tried to bully ‘the kid’ there because petty and even that doesn’t go his way. The kid challenged him to a duel and he accepted, but the kid turns out to be a man in disguise? If you weren’t up to speed, now you should be. Now, let’s get to it! 

 

So, the two witches arrived in the magic arena located in the city’s square. Apparently, witches challenging each other all around is so common that the city of Sabregrant’s rulers had one built for people to settle beef with each other. Makes you imagine just how violent these ‘challenges’ can get. Fortunately, we don’t have to guess because we’re about to witness one.  

Arriving in the arena, they headed to its administrative office because who knew you can’t have an official duel without filling in some paperwork? They did, but point is, it really surprised them what doing that led to. 

When they were done and entered the arena, they were surprised when they found a roaring crowd filling the arena’s seats, excited to watch a magic duel. 

The two lads glanced at the man who helped them fill in the paperwork with unhappy expressions. This was supposed to be a secret duel! 

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” He uttered under the intense glares of Allan and the man he was about to duel.  

Yes, he really couldn’t stop himself from spreading the word the moment he heard that these two geniuses would duel each other, so he immediately told his wife while the two were amidst filing the paperwork. I guess his wife told her friends, who passed the news forward and just in thirty minutes, the arena was full. 

The crowd cheered excitedly, both residents of Sabregrant and visitors alike.  

“Look, it’s the genius of the Archlen house: the Blue Star!” They murmured from their seats as they stared at Allan with admiration and excitement.  

Ah, yes! Allan is really popular in the witch world, isn’t he? It’s just that he lives in Nephavion with Marcel, so it’s easily forgettable information. Now, what is the identity of the other guy? 

“Look, look! It’s the Sabregrant whom people think will be the next Niobe. So dreamy~” A woman hollered from the stands as she made silly heart gestures to express her admiration. Unfortunately, down below, the two about to duel… were tense! 

“You’re a Sabregrant?!” Allan seemed surprised and also, a bit on edge when he learned of the other’s identity.  

Yes, the Sabregrants! Home of the famous Runic Lord, the extraordinary child of darkness and light with a close relationship to Niobe. They’re a step above other Ravencasters, extraordinaire among the already-extraordinary Ravencasters. Looks like this won’t be easy after all, Allan! 

“Yes, I didn’t know that you were Blue Star either. Color us both surprised!” His opponent snickered.  

Allan pulled out his staff, readying himself for the upcoming battle while his opponent just, did nothing? Huh? Where’s his staff? 

“I know that the ‘Blue Star’ isn’t much of a fighter, so I’m going to give you a handicap… or am I?” The dark-haired Sabregrant’s eyes smiled, content with his actions. He left Allan with unease as he wondered what the Sabregrant was up to. 

“Humph, do whatever you want! You’re going to lose either way.” Allan replied, his attempt at trash talk, I guess. Lame, but it got the job done as people get even more stoked to see the battle between the two geniuses. 

“Wow, ‘the’ Archlen vs a Sabregrant in a battle of wits and magic tiers! I can’t wait!” A person watching from the audience shouted in excitement. 

Magic tiers! Yeah, you remember? That thing Marcel used to talk about when he was still new to the demon realms, talking about trash human magic that left the Demon Lord and Claude disappointed? That very dark part of Marcel’s past he’d rather not have [Eidetic Memory] for so he could forget it forever? Let’s talk about it! 

 

Magic tiers: The various classifications at which different magic is ranked, often used in the human worlds, the world of witches, and to some extent, a few other worlds. At the very bottom tiers of one and two are miscellaneous and generally, useful spells that make life easier, like the relatively easy ‘Clean’ and ‘Fireball’ spells. Following that are the relatively more skillful and sometimes, even dangerous spells at the tiers of 4, 5, and 6. These tiers are generally referred to as the Basic, Intermediary, and Advanced tiers respectively. Spells of this tier manipulate the basic to advanced elements respectively with ranking relative to its overall usefulness and influence on the world. 

The last tiers of 7, 8, and 9, also known as the Extraordinary, Sacred, and Arcane tiers, respectively, containing spells that influence the world on a grander scale. Fully manipulating laws like gravity, for example, comes at rank 7. In tier 8 are the spells can dictate the overall laws of reality, like who lives or dies and manipulating space and time while in tier 9, exists spells that allow for the manipulation of magic so powerful that the Spirit of the World and the Demon Lord sometimes have to interfere if things begin getting out of hand. Those last three tiers are no joke. 

 

So, why haven’t you heard a lot about this Tier System after Marcel began training his magic in the demon realms from the beginning?  

Well, it’s because, at some point, the tiers become obsolete! These tiers can easily be overlooked depending on how strong the spell cast by the individual is. Depending on how it’s cast and the desires of the user, which allows spells to be projected into reality, a spell’s overall power can be exponentially increased to reach unbelievable tiers.  

If someone like Marcel whose magic power is pure and just quite recently, fully controlled, tried to create the relatively simple spell of ‘Fireball’ at tier one, they could easily end up creating a ‘Fireball’ that can be ranked at tier 4 or 5. If someone like Alverona or the Demon Lord tried the same spell, however, they could easily end up creating an Arcane or beyond spell that burns away at the very fabric of reality.  

A spell’s strength is decided by the individual’s strength and desires, and when many finally understood that, including Marcel, such a tier system became unnecessary. It just seemed better to rank any magic by the amount of influence it had on its immediate surroundings at that exact time of casting instead of by a rigid tier system that could easily be thrown out of whack. Many decided to rank the spell by how powerful the individual was instead, which ended up proving itself to be a better idea. Marcel and Allan, also just rolled with it at some point. 

 

Now, back to the battle! 

 

“Oh. So, you’re both the famous Archlen Spell Genius and the Blue Star. I always thought that they were two separate individuals. How very interesting! I don’t want to brag, but I have enough magic to create a black hole all on my own. How about you?” The man said. 

“No, I’m not telling! You know that witches like me like to keep our full capabilities under wraps from people like you. How would I gain an advantage if I just tell you all of my secrets?”  

Yes, Allan. How will you win if you tell another A-class that you are an A-class with full mastery over every part of your spell-casting? Nice work, Allan! 

“Good point! Then I'll begin now...” The Sabregrant said with a smile, “...here’s something I created right now, just for you. I hate wasting magic power, so let’s just end this quickly. Fourth-tier spell, [Continuous Slip].”  

Allan, not so haphazardly, lost his balance and fell. Every time he tried to get up, he’d just fall back on the ground again. It was quite the sight and the crowd laughed with joy as they watched him slip and fall like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

He tried too many times to stand up but kept falling. He got annoyed and quickly broke the spell with another even more powerful gravitational balance spell of the 6th tier, [Libra]. He decided that it was his turn and then he cast a spell called [Multi-Icicle Lance].  

The Sabregrant dodged the incoming ice lances, even though some of them came from the opposite direction of Allan, as in, behind him. He maneuvered across the arena ground with a darkness spell called [Will of Shadows], which temporarily allowed him to become one with the shadows. 

After he put some distance between himself and his opponent, the Sabregrant launched a simple composite spell of combined shadow and Ice. He created fast-traveling projectiles coated in the darkness element that shattered into ice fragments near the enemy. Allan blocked it with multiple elemental barriers. 

Next, the Sabregrant cast 4th tier [Water Dome] to imprison him. Allan counterintuitively used [Flame Shield], another 4th tier spell supposed to protect its caster to overwhelm and vaporize all of the water in his opponent’s spell. 

Allan began feeling annoyed about how he was been made a fool of, getting mad in the process.  

Um... we all know what happens when Allan gets mad, right? Anyone remember his ‘mad with power’ side during the time he went ‘hunting’ dungeon beasts alone on a dungeon floor way back when? Well, that side of his empowered him, allowing him to summon all his might. No more holding back! 

Allan cast three spells simultaneously: 2nd tier [Levitate], 5th tier [Spatial Wall], and then finally [Spirit Flames]. 

[Spatial Wall] is a spell that absorbs attacks and stores them as magic power. It’s intermediate-level spatial magic for blocking certain aspects of space, like creating an invisible wall wherever he pleased. [Spirit Flames] is a 6th tier spell of the Archlen family that wraps its user in flames impervious to most attacks, even water. It’s a high-tier simultaneous attack and defensive spell, meaning it consumes a lot of power, even with his immense reserves of magic power as of late because he doesn’t possess the Spirit element as Shalia does. He’s temporarily borrowing the power of flame spirits for the spell though he is affined to the fire element, which is also his main element. It’s part of the reason why Allan hates using it; because it empowers him and puts him on the brink of cuckoo-ness like going solo in the dungeons. He planned to end it just there. 

To counter him, the Sabregrant did some multi-casting of his own, using the spells: 5th tier [Ice Armor] for protection, 4th tier [Light Speed] to evade the [Spatial Wall], and 6th tier [Magic Cannon] to counterattack the [Spirit Flames]. It was the perfect strategy that filled him with the certainty of victory. 

Unfortunately, Allan wasn’t done yet, as he expected. He still had magic power to spare, even after using those two high-tier spells.  

The Sabregrant saw his victory when Allan used high-tier spells like [Spirit Flames] and [Spatial Wall]. After all, Allan must be exhausted after expending most of his power to cast those two. He has some more fight left in him, unlike his opponent. 

He went in to attack Allan with the [Light Speed], intending to knock Allan down with the aftermath of his incredible speed. It’ll also give him time to react if Allan maybe counterattacked. 

Allan, to his surprise, activated the firepower of [Spirit Flames] again to shoot the Sabregrant to the ground, predicting his path to him and… the battle is over.  

The Sabregrant tried to escape the flames with the 4th tier transformation spell [Nova], to turn into light and escape. Allan cornered him with a barrier, guess which? [Spatial Wall] and hit him with the [Spirit Flames] formed into a fist. The battle ended and the winner, was Allan! 

 

Excited with having knocked out his opponent, Allan jubilated over his victory. The audience cheered along with him, excited to have witnessed such a fast-paced magic battle. The rush of adrenaline and overall uncertainty over which of the A-class geniuses would win left the audience who witnessed this battle with excitement that lingered for the next couple of days. 

Like the first time Allan went wild, someone reined him back into reality. Claude wasn’t around, so he got the next best thing. 

 

“Allan!” Marcel stared at him, noticing that unnerving look in his eye that said his friend was having too much fun. He and the others had arrived in the arena and saw the entire battle. After the duel was finished, he immediately arrived on stage, jumping down from the stands with his friends. 

“Yes?” Allan answered, a smile on his face the moment he noticed Marcel. He had won and was excited to tell him all about it. That smile didn’t last long though. 

Silva, looking at Allan’s opponent, knocked out on the ground, certainly had questions,  

“So, care to explain how you managed to get into a duel with a Sabregrant?!” She bore that stern, ‘adult’ look on her face that commanded no defiance. He felt compelled to answer without a single lie, and so, he… um, told them how it all began, and the results? Certainly unexpected! 

 

They stared with disbelief; their expressions, disgusted as they tried to compute how horrible it was.  

They expressed their feelings simultaneously without a shred of restraint, “You’re scum!”  

Yes, trying to rob a child who turned out to be a man, then beating him up in a duel and taking his treasure definitely sounded like something vile scum would do. The fact that he was shameless enough to not feel guilty and instead, jubilated over his victory, solidified his scumminess. 

“Wow, Allan the scum! Has a nice ring to it!” Evan sneered. The rest let him say it because Allan deserved it. No suffering for Evan today. 

They continued to berate Allan for his behavior for quite a while before the man finally came to. He sat up and peered at his surroundings, wondering what happened before he finally remembered. 

Noticing him awaken and sit up, Marcel went over to the man, intending to apologize for Allan’s scummy behavior. 

“Hello!” He said, the slight breeze that came out of nowhere, wafting his long hair through the air, making it sway lightly. 

The man’s pupils dilated and he stared at the being in front of him with wonder. This is… 

“I would like to apologize for Allan’s, hm… inappropriate actions towards you. Would you please forgive him?” Marcel bent down to the man’s level, showing him a sincere smile. 

At that moment, the dark-haired man’s cheeks reddened, his heart confused from the signals his eyes were sending to his brain and the rest of the body. His bruised body quickly healed by his auto-recovery spells and he was brought to the brink of unbelievable clarity. He felt like a newborn in the presence of this wonderful being who addressed him.  

Ah… here we go again! 

“Yes… beautiful angel!” He answered, spacing out as his heart went ‘ba-dump, ba-dump’ and his entire body was honked awake, unsure if this was the same tune that played once more. Oh no, it’s… love!!! 

The man grabbed the ‘angel’s hands and instinctively started speaking, “My name is Gwendal Vos Sabregrant. A pleasure to meet you!” He said, dazed and totally not paying attention to anything but Marcel’s face. He stared like there was no tomorrow and in the first few moments of staring into those eyes, he saw a lifetime… with this pretty, wonderful being! 

“Likewise! My name is Marcel!” He let his secret name slip by accident, but neither of them had the time to worry about the consequences. One was dumbstruck at first sight and the other was occupied with making sure that this man forgave Allan and nothing more. He had no time to be overly concerned about what the look in the man’s eyes meant just yet. 

“Marcel, what a lovely name! Care to stay the night at my place?” Gwendal was still dazed, losing himself in Marcel’s fuchsia-colored eyes.  

Marcel thought this invitation to be some kind of way to apologize to the man, but he still thought it unwise to go to a stranger’s home alone. Who knew what would happen while he was there?  

Ah~, how happy it makes me that he’s learned from past experiences!  

Fortunately, Gwendal added, “You can bring all your companions with you. Anything… as long as I get to be with you!”  

Yes, Gwendal would take all the bonuses as long as the main prize was there to be gawked at for every moment of his life that followed their meeting. He was already falling into the abyss of love’s depths. The only one he wants to talk with is Marcel and all others are but extras. 

The rest, listening in on the brief exchange between the two, figured out what was going on. Marcel, their oblivious freak who hardly read between the lines had, once again, picked up yet another to-be ‘friend’ enamored with him.  

“Oh, you poor soul!” They thought with pity for the new guy. They felt like being nice to him. He deserved at least that much for the unfortunate predicament he’s found himself in. 

The girls looked sorry for Gwendal since they know that this guy, their friend Marcel, may or may not like the Demon Lord. Even if Marcel doesn’t, can Gwendal think of himself as being on par with the Demon Lord? Certainly not! But, nobody is going to ruin his little fantasy of getting with Marcel. It’s good to let people dream! 

Meanwhile, as the girls, the thunderbeast brothers were sorry they feel for Gwendal, Marcel’s newest victim, Allan was feeling ignored, thinking of how nobody cared for him; so sad and pathetic. He’s been having a very bad day thanks to this guy called Gwendal, although, it was kind of nice to forget everything and be amped up for a while. At least you could say that he released a bit of steam. Oh, the whiny little thing will be fine~!  

*** 

 

Upon the insistence of this ‘Gwendal’ guy they just met, Marcel and his friends spent a few days in the Sabregrant Manor as guests. 

“Please, angel, thank you for fulfilling my somewhat unreasonable request! You must be exceptionally busy, yet you still took a few days out of your precious schedule upon my insistence to stay here. I am eternally grateful to be in your awe-inspiring presence.” Gwendal was definitely going to be a handful for Marcel. He had that appreciating, sparkly glint in his eyes that told him that suddenly, without any reason, he’d somehow made this guy’s day. He was definitely going to have to stay for a few days before he moved on, seeing that he has a hard time saying no to people, especially this seeming ‘kind’ and ‘gentle’ young man, despite his obvious pushiness. 

 

And so, Marcel and his friends stayed in the Sabregrant abode as fate would have it. They also finally discovered why Gwendal needed the Burning Flame Wood so much, after Marcel asked, of course. 

“It’s for something amazing! I discovered this…” He then showed them a scroll he managed to find a few days ago when he visited ‘that place’. 

 

“Um… it looks like some kind of recipe. What exactly is it for?” Shalia, baffled by the odd listing of ingredients as well as the general instructions, just looked at it with extreme scrutiny. 

Allan, looking with her, agreed with her. Something was suspicious about this scroll’s contents, 

“What is it for?” 

Silver, however, looked at it and immediately noticed what was wrong, “That’s…” 

 

Gwendal answered, “Oh… I don’t know! Hahaha~”  

“Huh?!” They yelled simultaneously. 

“Yes, I really don’t know either. All I know is that this is supposed to be some kind of pill recipe that requires the use of the Burning Flame Wood. I’m not an Alchemic Witch, how am I supposed to know?” He shrugged, looking at the two who looked at him with the most suspicion like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Where did you find it?” Shalia asked, peering at the scroll’s information one more time. 

“Ah…” Gwendal scratched his head frantically for a while before continuing, “…Niobe’s lair! I found it in Niobe’s secret lair!” He answered truthfully.  

Ha, he’d wanted to keep this secret to himself for as long as he could, but, now that he had been given some time to think things through as well as seen the suspicious looks on the two other Witches’ faces, he also found it oddly convenient that he found the scroll. Unfortunately, Allan’s next action was going to open the path to the truth. 

“Marcel, look at this order of ingredients on this scroll and tell me if you find something suspicious!” Allan ordered Marcel, handing the scroll to him. Even though Marcel wasn’t as good as he is just yet, he should definitely be able to pick up ‘that mistake’. 

 

Marcel, as instructed, read the scroll’s contents, especially, the order that the ingredients are supposed to be added after each other, and noticed it. 

“Hmm… Who put ‘Spriggan Essence’ right before the Burning Flame Wood? It’s like they’re trying to cause some mayhem in a cauldron.” Marcel asked, confused. He’d answered correctly. He spotted the mistake, but that wasn’t the only one. 

Allan nodded to Marcel’s answer, “Blue Silver Ashes of Frost Bird and Laurent Elven Pine shouldn’t ever be a viable combination in any pill-making recipe, seeing as Frost Birds naturally go berserk in the presence of the Laurent Elven Pine’s unusual light essence, much less Spriggan Essence and Burning Flame Wood.”  

Simply put, if this had been made into a pill, it would wreak unimaginable damage in the body of whoever consumed it; that is if this thing’s alchemic refining managed to even reach the point of completion anyway. 

Gwendal finally got what they were insinuating, “So…” 

“Yes, this recipe is fake! Anyone who’s messed with Spriggan Essence or even Blue Silver Ashes would know of how sensitively volatile those two things are when used in one recipe.” Shalia said, looking at the entire scroll like it was some child’s attempt at trying to fool another child. This was definitely something made with sinister intention. After all, death by ‘exploding from the inside out’ was one of the many possible ways this pill could bring about someone’s death. 

“But…… I got it from Niobe’s lair~!” He exclaimed slowly, incredibly depressed that this also turned out to be a fluke. Somehow, someone had used his lack of any alchemic knowledge whatsoever to almost plot his assassination because HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THAT PILL! 

“’Black Potential Transformation Pill’! That pill’s name itself should be suspicious enough. It also says here that it should allow a Witch who consumes it to become like ‘a Saint’. Doesn’t the promise of Sainthood sound far-fetched, especially when it’s coming from a scroll you know nothing about, except for the fact that it came from some ‘Great Witch’s’ lair?” Allan rolled his eyes. Ah, he couldn’t believe it! He’d inadvertently saved this guy’s life. Damn it! 

 

“Hmph! I must tell you that it’s not just some ‘Great Witch’. It’s Niobe Vigil, one of the greatest witches out there and my greatest idol; the witch who can do it all and the pride of our Ravencaster race. You won’t get away with insulting her!” Gwendal seemed to take Allan’s words as some kind of insult to his idol Niobe. 

“Huh? Did I stutter?!! She might be great but where is she now? Nowhere to be found… like usual! She isn’t any greater than any other remarkable witch out there. Surpassing her will be a cinch!” Allan remarked smirking, staring down with Gwendal who was starting to take everything very personally. The tension in the air was rising and if not quelled very soon, this would turn into a fight. 

 

Luckily, the voice of reason was present to stop it before the lightning aura flares turned into actual offensive lightning. 

“Enough, Allan, and you too! Leave him alone! The poor guy has had enough for one day. He got beaten up, then he found out that he’d been shammed. That should be enough to make anyone want to question their life choices. He’s had enough!” Silva remarked, hitting right where it hurt most. With every word out of her mouth, she chipped away at Gwendal’s confidence. 

Indeed, how could he allow himself to be so easily tricked when all the signs were right there? Like how he entered Niobe’s lair, was super suspicious too. How did he not question anything about the entire situation simply because he happened upon that teleportation magic circle by accident? Yes, who puts teleportation circles under a seemingly newly-built building anyway? That is like suspicious sign number one! He was a fool to find it and excitedly entered at the prospect of finding what might possibly be Niobe’s lair. In his excitement, he didn’t even investigate anything before he rushed right to the market the next day to buy all the ingredients he needed for the pill when he read: 

 “’Black Potential Transformation Pill’” with “By Niobe Vigil” sitting in an almost invisible corner of the paper. What a dummy! 

 

Discovering the truth just hours after he brought Marcel and his friends to his home, Gwendal found himself impressed by how easily the truth managed to be revealed after he showed them the scroll. He noticed instantly that, apart from his ‘Angel’, there was something extraordinary about this group. He could not describe it but he could feel it… almost instinctively even. 

*** 

 

After spending a day at Gwendal’s, the group, especially Silva, managed to discover everything there is to know about him. 

Gwendal is a relatively pleasant person… if you put his arrogance and ‘slight’ narcissism as well as his newfound love in all things Marcel and admiration for Niobe, that is. Yes, they met a diva! 

Gwendal seems like the kind of guy who probably changes the stylish clothes he wears at least five times in a single day, cares only about the things he finds interesting, and regards everything else as unfit to be in his presence, though that is generally everyone, right? 

Really, though. He isn’t that bad! Even Allan admits that he is ‘tolerable’. Compared to Obnoxious, Talkative Evan who misses the mark on what to say most of the time unless ‘forced to’, or Shalia, who most would think has nothing better to do because of her, frankly, disturbing behavior regarding the being known as Marcel, Gwendal was pretty tame. They just hoped that he didn’t turn into another Shalia… and also that Marcel didn’t get any better-looking. 

 

And so, just like that… they spent three additional days at Gwendal’s, seeing as that’s the exact amount of time needed before he caved into the preternatural beauty that is Marcel. He felt comfortable enough to confess his greatest secret to Marcel and thus, his friends. Whether it was the great feeling of comfort and security he felt or simply because Marcel unknowingly seduced the truth he, um… never asked for, out of him; we’ll nev— 

Heck no! We all know it’s both!!! Marcel is so powerful now that he can make Guardians and Rulers drop their guard. Adding that to the fact that he’s a generally amiable person and likes to give anyone an ear; not literally, of course, one can say that whatever ‘Hero’s Charisma’ he may or may not have is certainly doing its magic. So yeah, Gwendal trusted him, and in turn, the entire group, with his secret. 

 

Ha, poor guy! He almost made it to his fifth day with Marcel too… 

That evening, after dinner, he ‘invited’ Marcel… and his ever-so-clingy group of friends joined at the hip to his room. ‘They’ came along, mostly because it was suspicious of him to invite Marcel to his room. They thought that they had to stop him before he did something the Demon Lord and all the Rulers Marcel were acquainted with, came for his head: assaulting Marcel.  

“It’s not worth it!” They shouted, barging into the room the moment they heard what happened from a maid. 

“Worth what?” Gwendal asked, genuinely clueless about what they meant. 

“You can’t assault Marcel! He’s precious~! Also, he’s mine!” Dear Shalia got between the two, attempting to ‘shield’ Marcel with her voluptuous, curvy body. Sigh, please! This is just another opportunity for her to throw herself at Marcel. Nothing else! 

Gwendal looked speechless, “Huh? What did you think was going to happen? Me, assault Marcel?” He couldn’t imagine what could have brought them to such a conclusion. He had been nothing but cordial to them, even though he focused most of his attention on Marcel. What could have possibly—  

Oh… He finally understood. Now that he thought about it, he really acted suspiciously. He not only invited Marcel to speak with him alone but… in his room! Shit, his ‘idea’ self in their minds was definitely assaulting Marcel. He’s a creep! 

 

After giving himself a moment to contemplate how his actions got Marcel’s friends to think about how he planned to assault Marcel, he beat himself about it before finally turning serious. 

“First, close the door! We don’t want any unwanted eyes and ears knowing what I plan to tell Marcel and since you’re here too, you…” He sighed, depressed at the thought of revealing his secret to all of them. Though, since they are with Marcel, it will probably be fine… right? 

“Understood!” Evan said before slamming the door shut with his shadow self. 

 

After the door closed, Gwendal activated the seal placed on it to create an isolated chamber, keeping it ‘unwanted ears’-free. 

He sighed once more before he peered at Marcel, then at his friends, asking himself once more if he can trust them in his mind before he got to it. 

“You’ve probably noticed by now, but I’m different from a lot of people.” He looked Marcel right in the eyes. Marcel nodded. 

“I-I-I-I…” He still struggled to say what he wanted. 

“Haa~ On with it already! You’re Gwendal Sabregrant. You have an odd, transformative physique that allows you to easily switch appearances and also a real rune genius. Also, your face—” 

“Woah~! How do you know that…?” Gwendal looked completed shocked. She took the words right out of his mouth. 

“I am me! I don’t claim to know everything, but… more than you ever will.” Silva admitted. She had gotten tired of watching him struggle so much, so she just outed him, or at least, started it. 

Allan was surprised, “What?!! A Rune Genius? Then… he’s a…” 

“Yes, that kind of witch, but really, you should see his face!” Silva smirked. Her friends looked at her, some surprised by the implications of her words while others— okay, just Marcel, was plain confused. What is going on here? 

 

So, like Silva said, Gwendal is a rarity amongst witches themselves; with an odd physique, esoteric magic, and a secret of origin that would make him one of the ultimate targets of interest for strong greed for power. Let him unpack everything himself. 

 

“I possess a physique that makes my true face a mystery among even the people of this house. Many have never seen my real face, nor are allowed to even know how I was born.” He then revealed his face to them; which brought forth a gasp reaction from all but two; the one who knew from having inquired on the same day they met, and the other who just… didn’t know who that face was even supposed to resemble. 

“That’s…” The rest gasped in complete shock. That dark black hair, ghost-white skin, cold, pale green eyes with a tinge of orange. Those lips, that raised nose, those sunken cheeks that gave one the feeling that he’d been starved. That face itself; everything was identical to that person. 

“The Runic Lord’s face…” Gwendal answered, “…which, is also my real face since I am the living clone of that person. It’s the reason why I have so many other faces; so as to deter people who would seek the power I possess.” 

“Oh… Wow~!” They answered, flabbergasted and dazed in place. They just looked with deep intent, seeing as they’d never seen that face this close before, ever! 

Marcel, however, didn’t seem to get it,  

“Um… who is the Runic Lord?” He asked, clueless head tilt and all. His question was so out of nowhere and unexpected that it broke the hold Gwendal’s secret had on them. They began recovering. 

Marcel suddenly found himself dragged by the three girls to be lectured all about all things regarding the Runic Lord.  

“We’ll make sure to teach you well!” They said as they dragged Marcel away to bestow upon Marcel ‘the knowledge he so desired’. 

 

So, really, who is the Runic Lord? 

 

The Runic Lord, real name: Gwydion Sabregrant, is an impressive witch who's said to be the childhood friend of Niobe Vigil and infamously known to have been her former fiancé. He is famous for his mastery in one type of esoteric magic known to grant its users the power to directly control the world: Rune Magic. 

It was at the hands of this Runic Lord that the entity known as Gwendal was born.  

Gwendal is his life’s greatest work; the perfect amalgamation of blood, runes, and sacred-class (S-class) magic: a runic marvel. Despite looking like any other witch, Gwendal is more like an immature S-class growth-type runic magic artifact as well as Gwydion’s clone. 

Now, runes, because Marcel asked… 

They’re a form of magic created through the desires of the World’s Will, Spirit of the World, and one’s own desire. Through the use of Rune magic, one communicates with every part of the world, one utilizes the power of the World around to create. Unlike other kinds of magic, this esoteric magic requires direct approval from the Spirit of the World herself to use as it utilizes every portion of power available, even from that of the Dreamscape and the physical world to manipulate every aspect of the world unlike what normal magic allows.  

Rune magic is often used to create Enchantments, making it easier for certain Enchanter-type witches to learn basic runes. We certainly wouldn’t want Vitalis giving reality-bending magic to just— Ha, never mind! 

<< Hmph! Criticize me again. I dare you!!! >> 

 

Yikes! I don’t want to deal with whatever drama you’re cooking up.  

Anyway, back to the story… 

 

Like the Demon Lord demonstrated during Marcel’s earlier days in the demon realms, rune magic allows for a myriad of enchantments. Some of these include giving direct orders to the world’s elements despite how easily the Demon Lord seems to use it to have Marcel enter his mind or rob him of his senses. Gwendal is also an Enchanter-type witch like the Runic Lord, by the way. 

*** 

 

“So, why are you willing to tell me—sorry, us, this big secret of yours?” Marcel, after he finally understood everything that was seemingly going on, asked Gwendal. 

“Because I only thought it proper to reveal this to you, ‘your future highness’, since I discovered your secret!” 

“You knew?!” Marcel and his friends, excluding a certain someone, asked in a comically predictable manner. 

“Um, yeah! It wasn’t hard to figure out after ‘his future highness’ let a name like ‘Marcel’ slip instead of his alias.” He twirled his hair lock around his fingers. 

 

Oh, yeah! He already figured out the identity behind the name Marcel, and thought it only fair to reveal his secret; one of equal value to knowing the identity of the Demon Lord’s rumored fiancé, hence why they’re having this conversation. Yes, he’d also been at the party almost 10 years ago at the Demon Lord’s and noted Marcel’s aura before he changed and his body’s natural abilities were revealed.  

Despite the Spirit of the World’s perception-altering cloak that prevented Marcel from being recognized, Gwendal managed to easily put two and two together. He felt like this meeting between Marcel and himself was something directly orchestrated by the ‘World’, so that he could meet someone as great as Marcel. 

He… was going to cherish this opportunity granted to him forever! Also, he had a feeling that Marcel’s ‘friends’ weren’t so ordinary either, especially after he ‘assumed’ Marcel’s true identity two days ago.  

Simply put, Gwendal found it delightful to be in the company of people who shared equally earth-shaking origins like his own. 

*** 

 

As they continued to chat in the isolated chamber, this topic of conversation naturally came up. 

“I guess I have to thank Allan for knocking some sense into me when I was being stupid, even though he might be my great-great-great grandchild, but who cares about that?” The others sounded super weirded out when he said that like it was nothing.  

“Um, just how old are you?” Marcel asked, face showing his unwillingness to hear anything absurd. 

“768…” Gwendal answered, “... though that’s only the time I’ve spent consciously aware. Now about you guys?” he asked them. 

“I might be the youngest here. I’m 441 years old.” Shalia answered. 

“Yeah, you are! We’re 643, I think.” Answered Nigel, the eldest of the thunderbeast brothers. 

“Well, I’m 719.” Valeria answered. 

“786,” answered Silva. 

“Ha ha~. I’m the oldest here. I’m 804!” Allan laughed proudly. 

“Sorry Allan, but I'm 920.” Kenny said in his low, deep voice apologetically to Allan whose title of being oldest flew out the window. 

 

Marcel felt like crying when he heard them speak of their respective ages. After all, he’s now just 31. Compared to the others, he’s just a baby. No, a baby is incorrect! He might as well be a fetus, even a zygote, or might as well not even exist, and here he is, comparing his age to theirs.  

Although Marcel didn’t say anything, the others gave him a pat on the back after they realized what they’d done while encouraging him, as if they knew what he was thinking. 

“Don’t worry! Someday, you’ll be old enough to profess it out proudly, though; we will always be older than you… No need to feel bad, hehe~!” Daniel tried comforting Marcel. It doesn’t seem to be working though. That laugh at the end made his entire comment sound condescending. Instead of cheering Marcel up, it made him feel even worse than before and Daniel wasn’t the only one who’d make him feel bad.  

Evan… just straight up laughed in his face. 

“Yes, after all, we’re still very, very young. We’re generally considered adults after we’re 10 millennia years old, so we’re still far from being called adults. There’s no need to be discouraged… even though you might never truly catch up to us.” Silva said, although you could see from her snide expression that she was making fun of him too. Covering your mouth as if to hold in your brewing laughter certainly doesn’t help prove otherwise. 

“Yeah, don’t feel bad! It’s fine if you stay just the way you are! If I'm correct, you’re technically already considered an adult as a human. You can just see it as being more mature than us. How does that sound?” Shalia said with a smile that would make anyone think that she’s an angel, but she was right.  

Marcel really is already an adult in human terms, though, I should remind you that he isn’t fully one. He cheered up after the devil draped in angel wings whispered sweet words into his ears. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, she was good at cheering him up now. He felt so much better. 

 

Unbeknownst to Gwendal, his life really had been saved by Allan’s scummy act of trying to bully him. Whichever Spirit Fox wrote that forged ‘old note’ he found when he visited Niobe’s former abode definitely went overboard with this little trick.  

Seriously, randomly writing a list of random ingredients, which accidentally, amplified the destructive powers of the others like that… If little Gwendal had taken that pill, he would have died from his Magic Circuits: his equivalent of a Magic Pool, half his existence, being bombarded by an explosive chain reaction followed by what can only be described as a flashy departure into the underworld.  

He would have taken Saber City, their current location controlled by the Sabregrant family, with him to his death. I can’t elaborate enough how much Allan’s pettiness helped thousands of the Ravencasters’ world inhabitants today. ‘He’ will be so grateful when ‘he’ returns thanks to Marcel’s accidental blunder of pouring magic power into that telecircle on that day.  

 

Now, as for how this ends… 

Gwendal, getting increasingly obsessed with Marcel by the day, took on a new face and just, disappeared from the Sabregrant house. He wouldn’t be found until a few years later.  

While the Sabregrants panicked about their precious genius and treasure having gone missing, Gwendal happily followed Marcel, becoming ‘less dreadful' when compared to Marcel’s other deranged stalker… and he relished every moment he spent with his crush.  

Yes, I called it a ‘crush’. That’s what it is at this point. Bite me!  

Besides, Marcel isn’t even going to do anything about his feelings. What’s the point of doing that when he’s got the fine Demon Lord that, as of late, we haven’t been hearing much of?  

Oh? I see! He’s been very busy handling the aftermath of some ‘naughty children’ leaving home? Apparently, when the world’s most prominent clairvoyant and a beast princess disappear, there’s a lot of unrest and dissatisfaction, especially from their frequent clients and admirers. Heaven bless the poor super-extraordinary man who can— wait, why am I still rambling on?! This chapter has been so frickin’ long for no reason at all!!! 

 

To summarize everything: Marcel caught another prey, he’s, haa… special… like all his other friends, the Demon Lord is extremely busy because of crazy people and their threats of war if the Divine Priestess isn’t found soon. Everything on my side… is good! Nobody ever asks, tch! Trying to be formal is a pain! When will this end~?!  

I still haven’t gotten to the epic romance that should define this entire tale, aahhh! What is the meaning of life~?!!  

We exist to suffer! Nothing is worth it! Just please… I want something… that isn’t another friggin’ chapter where Marcel ‘goes on another adventure’!!! I just want something else… anything else close to what ‘we’ both signed up for. 

 

This is taking so— 

Wait... 

Oh~? Let’s see! 

The following chapters after this one are, let’s see… 

• Allan rises? Cemented affections. 
• Gwendal discovers ‘the secret’. 
• Marcel is kidnapped in his sleep, again…  
• Ooh~, that guy is hot! They slept together…?! 
• Time skip and return. 

Finally, we’re getting somewhere~~~ Something that isn’t boring. I feel alive again!!! Whose idea was it to just not skip all this boring stuff and go straight to the good parts?! Screw you! 

  

~ Um, that was all you, un— you know what I mean! I’m also interested to see how we finally get to ‘that stage’. I’m so excited! ~ 

 

Don’t be excited when all that happens is that you get b— 

Oh, oops! Almost dropped a major bomb there. Hehe~, as much as I like progress, I’m going to ask you, folks, to just sit along for a little while later. We’re finally close to all those mushy, disgusting feelings part we were promised. If you’ve made it this far, then why not tag along all the way until the end. Until next time~!