Inside a dark room...
The place looked remarkably similar to an office.
Several bookshelves lined the walls, each one filled with books. Some appeared ancient, while others were nearly impossible to distinguish beneath the dim lighting.
In addition to the bookshelves, several paintings were scattered across the walls, filling the empty spaces and giving the room an even more sophisticated and mysterious appearance.
At that moment, there were two men inside the room.
Yet...
They could barely be seen.
The only source of illumination came from several candles mounted along the walls.
Their small flames flickered softly, casting restless shadows across the room.
In the center of the room stood a large table made of dark oak.
Behind it...
A man sat in a chair.
Because of the poor lighting, his face was almost completely hidden within the shadows, making it difficult for even the person standing before him to see his features.
However, the person standing before him wasn't even trying to look at his face.
He was kneeling, resting one knee against the floor while keeping his head lowered and his eyes fixed upon the ground.
If Demian had been there...
He would have immediately recognized the man.
The person kneeling before the desk was none other than the man in the white suit.
The same man who had taken Demian to the Coliseum.
The same man responsible for everything that had happened.
Several moments passed in complete silence.
Then...
The man sitting behind the desk finally opened his mouth.
"So... how did it go?"
His voice was mature.
Yet, at the same time, it carried a distinct and commanding presence.
Judging by the tone of his voice, he was probably someone approaching the end of his thirties.
Upon hearing the question, the man in the white suit didn't move a single muscle.
His answer came quickly and directly.
"Everything was done as ordered, sir."
Silence.
For several seconds, neither man spoke again.
Then the man in the white suit spoke once more.
"But, if I may, sir..."
He remained kneeling.
"I would like to ask you a question."
The man sitting in the chair slightly raised his gaze toward him.
Then answered:
"Very well."
A brief pause followed.
"You may ask, my dear Lucas."
Upon receiving permission, the man in white finally raised his head.
For the first time, the candlelight partially illuminated his face.
Lucas looked directly at the man sitting before him.
Then...
He opened his mouth to ask his question.
🇺🇸 Chapter 2 – The Coliseum (Part 5)
"Sir, as you instructed me, I bought or otherwise acquired several plots of land in the Black Zone where our researchers discovered mining areas beneath the ground."
Lucas paused briefly before continuing.
"But what I don't understand is why."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"Those mines contain nothing but mana crystals, and they aren't exactly very valuable commodities on the market."
He frowned slightly.
"I don't think they're worth this much effort for something that won't bring us a very good profit margin."
The man sitting behind the desk merely looked at Lucas.
His expression remained hidden within the shadows.
Then, calmly, he answered:
"I don't intend to profit from the crystals."
The man paused for a moment.
"I intend to use them."
Lucas fell silent.
"Use them?"
He began thinking.
"But how?"
"The only use those crystals have is to slightly increase the amount of mana within a person's body..."
"And every time another crystal is used, the amount it can provide decreases."
It didn't make sense to Lucas.
If the crystals weren't going to be sold...
And they weren't going to be used in the conventional way...
Then what exactly did that man need so many of them for?
The man rested his elbow against the arm of his chair.
Then placed his head against his fist.
"I can already imagine what you're thinking."
His voice remained calm.
"But that isn't something you need to worry about right now."
He paused briefly.
"Just continue following my orders."
His eyes remained fixed on Lucas.
"In the end, you'll understand what I want, Lucas."
Lucas remained silent.
Even though the man hadn't actually answered his question...
He decided to simply let it go.
It was obvious that the man didn't want to answer.
And there would be no benefit in Lucas continuing to insist merely out of curiosity.
He knew his position very well.
So Lucas stood up.
He adjusted his suit slightly and bowed respectfully.
"I understand, sir."
He began walking toward the door.
However...
Before he could leave, the man's voice made him stop.
"I heard you sold a boy to Mira."
Lucas stopped in front of the door.
His hand remained suspended for a moment before reaching for the handle.
He immediately felt the man's gaze fixed upon his back.
A cold sweat began running down his skin.
"I was merely keeping a promise, sir."
Lucas answered without turning around.
"It's nothing important."
His hand finally closed around the doorknob.
Then...
The man spoke once again.
"But he's a mage, isn't he?"
The question sounded casual.
Yet...
Lucas knew very well that the man already knew the answer.
Lucas tightened his grip around the doorknob.
For a brief moment, he remained silent.
Then he answered:
"If you believe he's a problem..."
His voice remained respectful.
"I'll go to the Coliseum right now and kill him."
Silence filled the room.
Then...
Tap.
The man tapped one finger against the desk.
The small sound echoed through the room.
Yet somehow...
It was enough to make the atmosphere even more tense.
"That's unnecessary."
The man's voice remained calm.
"I don't want to have to deal with complaints from Mira just because of some random boy from the Black Zone."
Lucas lowered his head slightly.
"I understand."
He opened the door.
"Then I'll take my leave now."
The man merely made a small gesture with his hand.
A simple gesture indicating that Lucas was free to leave.
Lucas then stepped through the doorway.
And left the room.
The door slowly closed behind him.
...
Some time after leaving the office...
Lucas was now walking through a huge hall.
The place was the exact opposite of the room he had just left.
While the office had been dark, silent, and illuminated only by the faint light of a few candles...
This hall was completely illuminated.
And not only that.
The entire place had an almost entirely white appearance.
Huge marble pillars stood on both sides of the hall, long and thick, supporting the structure of the enormous building.
The floor also reflected the intense lighting, making the hall appear even larger and more imposing.
Lucas had to pass through this hall every time he wanted to leave the building.
And, in a way...
It always made him feel somewhat strange.
The change was so drastic that it felt as though he were walking between two completely different worlds.
Only moments earlier, he had been inside a dark room surrounded by shadows.
Now he was walking through a completely white and brilliantly illuminated hall.
Sometimes, it almost seemed as though the two places didn't even belong to the same building.
But Lucas was already accustomed to it.
Or at least...
He tried to be.
At that moment, as he walked through the hall, his footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor.
That was when he noticed someone standing beside one of the enormous pillars.
A person was leaning near the structure.
And that person...
Was looking directly at him.
Lucas immediately recognized him.
Tsk.
He clicked his tongue.
His expression made it perfectly clear that he had absolutely no desire to talk to that person.
"Of all people..."
Lucas continued walking.
His intention was simply to walk past him and ignore him.
However...
The man moved.
Or rather...
He stepped away from the pillar and walked directly toward Lucas.
Within a few steps, he was standing right in front of him.
Completely blocking his path.
Lucas stopped.
He raised his eyes and stared at the man standing before him.
His expression became even colder.
"What do you want, Victor?"
There wasn't the slightest hint of friendliness in his voice.
Direct.
Cold.
And clearly showing that Lucas had no interest in having this conversation.
Victor, the man standing before him, appeared to be around twenty years old.
Unlike Lucas, he showed no concern whatsoever about maintaining a formal appearance.
He wore nothing but a pair of shorts.
He had no shoes.
He wasn't even wearing a shirt.
His messy red hair immediately stood out against the almost entirely white surroundings.
His eyes, however...
Were an intense ruby color.
There was something rebellious in his gaze.
A constant sense of defiance, as though he were always looking for an opportunity to provoke someone.
Victor gave him a small smile.
"What?"
He let out a quiet laugh.
"Can't I visit a fellow companion?"
As he spoke...
Victor stuck out his tongue for a moment.
That was when Lucas noticed a small tattoo on it.
A black wing.
The symbol had been tattooed directly onto his tongue.
Lucas showed no surprise.
He simply continued staring at Victor with clear impatience.
"I don't remember being that close to you."
His response was dry.
Short.
There was no opening for the conversation to continue.
It was obvious that Lucas wanted to end the matter as quickly as possible.
Victor, however...
Continued smiling.
As though Lucas's attitude only made the situation even more amusing.