Lance shrugged, knowing the cause of Ardor’s glee. But he didn’t want to remain under this kind of attention, so he quickly thought of a solution and smiled at Ardor.
<You’re not thinking what I’m thinking of, are you?> Ardor asked, hoping his thoughts were wrong.
Lance grinned. <Of course, I’m simply telling the truth.>
He looked at Isabella’s crying face, that added a layer of charm to it, and explained, “It’s not me who’s sending you away.” He pointed at his main self. “It’s him who wants you to reunite with your lover.”
Isabella looked at the person on the receiving end of Lance’s finger and saw Ardor.
“Why?” Her heartbroken sound caught the attention of the fellow maidens present. “I thought you forgave me for leaving you! Why are you making Lance send me away now that I finally learned where I belonged?”
‘Yeah, you belong on your knees, earning LPs for me for the rest of your life.’ Ardor thought with some annoyance, already getting what he felt was undeserved attention.
He spread his hands, a gesture of no harm intended. “Look. I know you left me for Edgar, and now that he’s here, I simply wanted you to go back to him.”
Pointing at Edgar, whose wrinkled body was quickly turning supple since his life force was mostly restored thanks to the potion’s effects, he spoke.
“Look at him. He’s now back to how he used to be. I know you left him after his accident, but now you have your chance to return to his embrace. I won’t let anyone stop you from doing that!”
The crowd, along with Isabella, focused their attention back on Edgar, who slowly stood up from his stretcher and stared at his fair hands, and touched his young skin. He was not as muscular as he used to be, but had finally regained his youth!
Edgar looked at the one who made it all possible and bowed with utmost respect. “Lord Mage, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
She felt his excitement and joy and nodded calmly. ‘I also thank you for letting me make so much profit by selling a cheap potion,’ she inwardly smirked.
“Can you please test my talent?” he added.
The gleeful female mage nodded and took out that globe once again. Once he placed his hands above it, the swirling gray fog turned still stone gray from its center.
As the onlookers looked in surprise, the stone became bigger and bigger, and finally ended up almost the size of the globe.
“Oh, my!” The mage smiled even wider. She took a closer look and muttered with some disappointment. “So close to top… but it doesn’t matter.”
She looked at Edgar, who somewhat understood his situation by the surprised glances he was receiving, and added, “Stone, high. Stand with them. You’re really something!”
She thought of his white disaster and his talent. ‘Should I tell him there’s hope to advance his talent a step further and get his loyalty while he’s still weak?’ she thought, knowing the implications of a top talent.
“Okay, listen up.” She walked towards them and addressed the small crowd.
“Know that while talent is the main determining factor for becoming a mage, your persistence and desire to learn cannot lag. You will face challenges, yes, but what you do in those challenging times will decide who you eventually become.”
She gave the young teens a moment to let that sink in.
“Know that becoming a mage is not something everyone can afford. In fact, even low talent is found in once in a thousand people. But is it accurate? Can anyone tell?”
Ardor raised his hand, and after seeing her nod, answered, “It’s actually lower.”
His words caught the crowd’s attention while the duke noble children whom Bella had introduced nodded. He said, “Because not everyone can afford to get their talents tested, nor can they afford to raise a mage.”
The female mage nodded at his astute observation and said, “Well said.”
She focused her attention on the crowd. “I’m Lemari, and you can either call me Lord Mage as you do now, but after we meet other mages, it’s best to call me Mage Lemari or something similar.
“You’ve got a day to pack up as our ship will leave at that time, so don’t be late to the harbor tomorrow morning. Any questions you have will be answered there.”
Before anyone could ask her about the ship, a long broom appeared from her ring, and she sat on it.
Her magical energy coursed through it and, with her experienced control, the broom elevated and reached the roof where a glass window was kept open. Within a blink of an eye, she was gone.
“So that’s how she came in!” many muttered in astonishment.
Ardor looked at his gang and said, “Let’s go. One day is tight. We have to prepare the best we can.”
He took a step forward along with others who were leaving the side palace, but a slim teen blocked his path.
‘Edgar looks so weak without his muscle… though his power as a Peak Apprentice Warrior didn’t drop,’ Ardor thought with mixed emotions.
“Why are you still alive?” Edgar’s first question raised the eyebrows of the ladies with Ardor while Lance, who knew the reason for the question, coldly stared at him.
Before Ardor could answer, and before Isabella could slip away, Jeanne replied to him, “And why shouldn’t he be? Why are you still alive?” she questioned him back. “You looked much better, lying down as someone who couldn’t even get it up!”
She didn’t know why, but Jeanne felt some familiarity with Edgar, which pissed her off. She still remembered how he hurt her lover and didn’t want to feel close to the man at all!
“How dare a slave interrupt when I’m talking to her master?” Edgar’s ego was hurt at the truth, and he immediately exerted aura outside his body, pressuring her with it.
Of course, Ardor would not stand and let that happen. He swiftly sent a few orders to Lance, who whispered something in Bella’s ears and pulled Jeanne back, and stood in front of the group, facing Edgar alone.
The ladies felt he could not stand it and almost screamed while closing their eyes, imagining what was about to happen to the mortal before them.
Bella obeyed the one who had conquered her body and tightly controlled her aura, and stealthily sent it across the floor, covering Ardor’s body with a thin, compressed brown aura.
It was so compressed and thin that even Edgar standing in front of him couldn’t see any difference or feel that familiar aura of his mother.
Edgar stared at Ardor, puzzled why his aura was not pressing him down on the ground, where he would humiliate him and teach him a lesson.
He looked behind the one he had humiliated in the past and saw his mother standing there with the woman he had recently gained.
Only his mother seemed to stand too close to another teen.
‘Could the rumors be true? That she gave father a green hat?’ he thought, feeling shame at having such a wanton woman as his mother. “What are you doing here, dear mother? And who’s that next to you?”
Even though Isabella was attractive to him, his family came first. So he didn’t bother asking about her.
Bella was still concentrating on covering Ardor’s body with her aura, and keeping it concealed. She didn’t have enough mental strength to answer his question, so Lance took action with his mouth.
“Edgar.” he saw that disgruntled face turn to him. “While she’s still your mother, she’s no longer that man’s wife. So don’t bother her with such useless questions.”
Edgar looked at his mother in shock, and his shock only grew after receiving a nod from her. His mind was so disturbed that he even forgot Ardor standing in front of him and released his aura that was trying to suppress Ardor.
Bella breathed a sigh of relief as she retrieved her aura and was released from her mental strain.
‘No.. this can’t be! If mother leaves the Stones, without the support of the Duke Mists, how will my Marquess father have enough support to hold his noble title?’
His head hurt, thinking of the possibilities. ‘Father’s always been chasing power, so what did he do to make her leave him?’ He looked at Lance. ‘Or is it this fellow’s work?’
Bella knew her son’s intentions with a single glance. Before he could cause trouble for her new and most likely final lover, she said, “I’ll explain everything tonight at the Wicked Inn. Just don’t make a scene in front of everyone here.”
Edgar heard the pleading tone and saw that despite most of the teens leaving, the ones with some status like the princess, the mist twins, and other two sons of duke households were still present watching the show.
Lol