Chapter 4 – The Mage's Suspicion
The duel had been the talk of the estate all day.
Servants whispered about it while sweeping the halls.
Young nobles reenacted it in the courtyard, pretending to be Luke blasting Cayden across the arena.
Luke, however, was in his room, dismantling the Agust ring on his desk. Every fight was a test — and every test could be improved.
"Your device works," he murmured to himself, carefully etching a new rune into the copper frame, "but the barrier response time was slow. Need faster activation."
A faint tap-tap came from the doorway.
Luke turned. The Head Mage stood there, his silver eyes gleaming under the candlelight.
"You fought Cayden Ardam this morning," the mage said, stepping into the room without invitation.
Luke kept his tone casual. "If that's what people are saying."
"I saw it." The mage's voice was low, but it carried a sharp edge. "You have no mana. And yet, you produced a defensive barrier and a kinetic blast. Explain."
Luke leaned back in his chair, meeting the mage's gaze. "Trade secret."
The old man studied him in silence for a moment. "I have lived in this world seventy years, boy. I have seen every type of magic — natural, inherited, forbidden. What you used… was none of them."
Luke shrugged. "Then I suppose you've just seen something new."
The mage's eyes narrowed. "Magic without mana is impossible. You will tell me how you did it, or I will inform your father that you are experimenting with dangerous relics."
Luke's smirk deepened. "Go ahead. He already knows I tinker with things."
The mage stared at him a moment longer before turning to leave. "Be careful, young master. Power invites attention. And attention… invites danger."
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That night, Luke worked late, adding new functions to the Agust system.
But the Head Mage's words lingered in his mind.
If someone like him was suspicious, it was only a matter of time before others — more dangerous than Cayden — started asking questions.
Which meant Luke needed to make Agust stronger.
Much stronger.
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