Lady Zenonia.
Or rather, Calia Zenonia—the woman who had effectively been ruling the earldom for years by turning her father into a puppet. There were two main reasons why she had come to the House of Count Palatio.
The first was to gauge the intentions of Alon—no, the man who was now Count Palatio.
He clearly held a card that could deal a devastating blow to the current House of Zenonia, yet he had refrained from using it.
It wasn't that the relationship between the Zenonia and Palatio families was particularly good. Rather, Calia knew that the Count's fundamental nature was the same as hers—they were "kindred spirits."
In other words, she understood all too well that he wasn't the type to let a perfectly good hand go to waste out of some petty sense of pity or misplaced magnanimity.
She had come to discern his true motive.
The second reason was to verify the strength of the organization the rumored Count Palatio was supposedly wielding.
Of course, Calia knew that simply meeting the Count wouldn't reveal the full extent of the power he commanded from the shadows.
However, she had a way to catch at least a "glimpse" of it.
The mage, Biancel.
He was a man who had once received accolades from the academic world for proposing a new theory on the "Magic of the Forgotten Era" at the Magic Tower. However, he had eventually been expelled due to his excessively inhumane magical experiments.
Yet, even as an exile, his rank was a staggering 5th Tier.
He was a powerhouse capable of effortlessly annihilating an entire division of soldiers single-handedly. Calia had brought him along, maintaining an alliance with him in exchange for funding his experiments.
She figured that a mage touching the threshold of the 5th Tier, whose specialty was detection magic, would have no trouble gauging the caliber of the individuals guarding Count Palatio.
While guards didn't tell the whole story, the quality of the men protecting the Count would naturally offer a peek into the organization's overall strength.
...That was certainly the reason she had brought Biancel along.
"..."
Shifting her gaze slightly within the reception room of the Palatio estate, Lady Calia was inwardly stunned to see Biancel still standing there with his mouth agape, looking visibly shaken.
As far as she knew, he was not the type of man to wear such a foolish expression in front of others.
Biancel's face was always masked in arrogance, and he never lowered his speech for anyone—not even for her, the one currently sponsoring him.
Calia understood why. Even if he was an exile, reaching the precipice of the 5th Tier granted his attitude a certain level of validity and logic.
But the expression Biancel wore now was utterly bizarre.
His face was still flushed with the same shock from earlier, and every now and then, she caught flashes of a fear she had never seen from him before.
Why...?
Watching Biancel, Calia felt a sense of doubt and strangeness. She had never seen him show such blatant terror toward anything.
If he's reacting like this... could it be that the magic shown earlier really was an Origin...?
While Calia was lost in thought, she quickly recalled the current situation and turned her gaze to meet Alon's.
His eyes were the same as before.
With a look of profound indifference, as if he found no value whatsoever in the current situation, he slowly scanned Biancel and Calia.
Silence.
"I apologize, Count Palatio. I have committed a discourtesy."
Calia was the first to break the silence.
As she was still officially only the daughter of House Zenonia, she showed proper etiquette to the man who had become a Count, using formal language to apologize for their intrusion into the training ground.
Though she tried to smooth it over with excuses, peeking into someone else's training ground—even by mistake—was a clear breach of etiquette, if not a grave insult.
Alon remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"...I shall choose not to find fault with it."
"Thank you."
"Normally, I would ask why you've come to this estate, but before that, let me make one thing clear."
"Please, go ahead."
At Calia's response, Alon spoke without hesitation.
"What I used was not an Origin. It seems the mage you brought has misunderstood."
"Is that... so?"
"Yes. My magical skills are not particularly outstanding. If I had to rank myself... I'm about the 2nd Tier."
"..."
Naturally, Calia did not believe a word Alon said.
Even if she were completely ignorant of magic, it wasn't hard to tell that the magic Alon had displayed was anything but ordinary.
"..."
She glanced toward Biancel and was even more surprised. His expression looked even worse than before.
However, regardless of his grimace, he seemed to have grasped the hidden meaning behind Alon's words: Keep your mouth shut about what you saw here.
"It seems... I saw incorrectly."
"...!"
Biancel forced the words out with great effort.
Calia was shocked once again to hear him use polite honorifics—something she hadn't heard from him once in five years—instead of his usual informal speech.
"Indeed. You seem quite capable, so I'm sure you've realized that magic has no practical utility. Now then, since the misunderstanding is cleared... what business brings you to the earldom?"
Alon pushed the conversation forward without delay. Caught off guard, Calia hurriedly gathered her thoughts to answer.
"I didn't stop by for any particular reason. I simply had business nearby and decided to pay a short visit since you were on my mind, Count."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Alon thought for a moment before replying to Calia.
"Regrettably, I have a mountain of work to attend to, so I don't believe we can talk for long."
"That's quite alright. It was only a brief stop, after all. I merely wanted to offer my greetings."
"If you're in need of a conversation partner, perhaps you should pay a visit to Duke Altia."
"...Duke Altia, you say?"
"Yes. I have a feeling the two of you would get along quite well."
"If you say so... then I shall make a point to visit the Duke."
As Alon spoke with an impassive face, Lady Zenonia replied with a smile.
...However, her mouth felt bone-dry.
*
"The House of Zenonia... That family is a complete mess out in the West. Why did she come here?"
Hearing Evan's voice as he watched Lady Zenonia's carriage disappear into the distance, Alon replied.
"How should I know?"
"Is that so?"
Evan looked puzzled, but this time, Alon truly had nothing more to say. He, too, had no idea why Calia had come.
Showing off that magic turned out to be a pain, Alon thought, recalling the mage who had mistaken his magic for an Origin. I just hope rumors about me using an Origin don't start spreading.
In this world, rumors held more power than one might expect.
If word got out that Alon could use an Origin—a feat reserved for the most supreme mages—it might sound impressive at first, but it would actually be a massive headache.
This was a dark fantasy world where one could easily find lunatics itching to pick a fight with anyone they perceived as strong.
...Maybe if I had a solid backer, it would be different.
Without a powerful patron, having strange rumors spread could go beyond being annoying; it could lead to absurdly powerful monsters coming to challenge him for no reason.
In fact, at the mere thought of being rumored as a mage who could use an Origin, the names of eight powerhouses who would likely hunt him down immediately sprang to mind. That was why he had tried to nip the rumor in the bud.
...He understood, right?
He recalled the mage who had nodded in agreement when Alon tried to clear the misunderstanding one last time before sending them off.
Meanwhile, he continued his train of thought with a frown.
I have no idea why she's taking an interest in me.
To Alon, Calia was someone he not only lacked interest in but actively wanted to avoid. Getting close to her would naturally increase the chances of getting entangled with the underworld.
...I did introduce her to Duke Altia, though.
He knew Lady Zenonia was unlikely to actually seek her out. Even so, the reason he had suggested Duke Altia was to send a clear message.
A message that he had no intention of forming a relationship with her.
Just don't come looking for me.
As Alon cut off his thoughts about Calia, inside the departing carriage...
"...Was the magic Count Palatio used really an Origin?" Calia asked.
"..."
Unlike his usual promptness, Biancel remained silent. Just as Calia was about to speak again...
"It wasn't an Origin," Biancel finally said.
"...It wasn't? Then what was that display earlier...?"
In response to Calia's confused follow-up, he took a deep breath to steady his heart before explaining.
"An 'Origin' is like a canvas and the final destination for all mages. It is a canvas where one can draw their own unique laws, permitted only to those who have established magic as a 'principle.'"
"..."
"Magic that possesses its own unique array and manifestation formula, created by painting one's own picture on an absolutely immutable canvas—that is what we call an Origin. However—"
He swallowed hard before continuing.
"—Count Palatio's magic is different."
"...In what way?"
"He wasn't painting on a canvas. Rather, strictly speaking, his magic was no different from tearing the canvas apart."
As Calia looked at him with a look of incomprehension, Biancel elaborated.
"In short, he was twisting the 'principles' that should be absolutely immutable. I only saw his magic for a fleeting moment, but because I was using my 'Observation Eye' at your request, I saw it clearly."
Biancel muttered to himself.
"Fixing lightning that should never stop in place, twisting its laws to collapse the manifested magic, and yet achieving a nonsensical miracle where it manifests perfectly anyway. And what was behind it—"
He stopped abruptly.
The image of Count Palatio he had seen earlier flashed through his mind.
At the same time as he performed that impossible magic... something appeared that could only be awakened by reaching the 6th Tier, unless one possessed unfathomable talent.
Because he had a mere glimpse of that talent, he had been able to obtain it upon reaching the threshold of the 5th Tier.
He had seen it with the 'eye' that could perceive the truth of the world itself.
"..."
It was a pupil.
A pitch-black pupil.
It had appeared as the Count used his magic, with two red rings etched onto the eyelids.
Recalling how it had vanished into nothingness the moment the magic dissipated, Biancel could not hide the terror in his eyes.
If what he knew was correct, what appeared when the Count used magic was surely the power of a great, forgotten god—
"...Ugh."
Thinking that far, Biancel used his mana to forcibly cut off his thoughts.
As one who had lusted after ancient knowledge, he realized how dangerous it was to infer its true identity through further contemplation.
Therefore...
"I will give you one piece of advice."
"..."
"Never cross him—never make an enemy of Count Palatio. Do not even think of opposing him."
"What—"
"That is all the advice I can give you."
Biancel fell silent after that.
Lady Zenonia likewise remained quiet.
At the same time, recalling Alon, who had looked at her with nothing but a calm, expressionless gaze, Calia naturally...
"Ha..."
She let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Through Biancel's words, she had realized something. Trying to gauge Count Palatio's intentions was utterly meaningless to begin with.
And at the same time...
'If you're in need of a conversation partner, perhaps you should pay a visit to Duke Altia.'
'...Duke Altia, you say?'
'Yes. I have a feeling the two of you would get along quite well.'
She realized the fact that she had already become one of the pieces on his chessboard.
Silence hung in the carriage for a long time as it traveled back.
And then, about five months later.
Alon, who had become quite accustomed to his duties and was handling the earldom's affairs with proficiency, was interrupted.
"...Ah, Count. Have you heard the news?"
"What is it?"
"They say the House of Zenonia and the House of Duke Altia have formed an alliance."
"...What?"
Alon realized that a crisis had befallen the Asteria Kingdom.