Dim amber lights hang from the rough wooden beams overhead, casting long shadows across a massive rectangular table at the center.

The table itself was covered with an enormous map, its faded lines and markings stretching from one end to the other, emphasizing the blueprints of the Prism Kingdom and its neighboring provinces. The walls were weathered, draped with old parchment maps, pinned notes, and symbols.

One wall bore a dark, compass-like emblem carved or painted into the concrete. Shelves and counters along the side held glass containers and scattered objects, speaking for the strategists and tacticians who once worked here endlessly through the nights.

The wooden chairs surrounding the table were neatly arranged, and where Leomaris sat, a faint crimson glow seeped on him through the narrow doorway in the back.

"The headmaster has handed over our mission for this semester," Alfred said, pinning a location in the mountains of Chatenham. "The fallen Great Citadel of Elisha."

"According to the report, this citadel was raided in the past. However, in recent months, strange presences have been emanating from the area. Whether it originates from the citadel itself or the surrounding mountains remains unknown, that is what we must determine."

Leomaris put himself at ease. This was the Fall of the Great Citadel arc, exactly as the novel had laid it out. He knew the citadel well enough, but enough had already deviated from the original plot for charging in blindly to be out of the question.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"How was the citadel raided in the past? Are they sure the Lord of the citadel was actually defeated?" The question sat on everyone’s mind, and Lucius was the one to ask it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Something discouraged crossed Alfred’s face, as though he wasn’t proud of his own words. "Honestly, I don’t know." He swallowed his pride, gaze sweeping the room. "Are any of you well informed about this?"

Leomaris’s eyes moved across their faces. He didn’t want to say much, but the heroine, Raine, had been the first to contribute most in this arc. For some reason, she hadn’t made Calamity, and Lucius had stepped into her position instead.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"I do..."

A frown from Alfred. "You? This isn’t a joke. You know that, right?"

Alfred’s behaviour went ignored as Leomaris pressed on. "The Lord of the citadel was Elisha. A spider, initially, but when the citadel manifested, and it was exposed to its malevolent energy, it grew strong enough to command countless armies. It was indeed defeated by the War God."

"The War God?" Warner asked.

A nod of affirmation from Leomaris. "Yes, the War God. He noted that Elisha evolved two ranks, from Lesser Lord to High Lord, during the battle against it. That took two weeks."

Lucius nodded in understanding. "Now I understand why it has a name, and why it is called a Great Citadel."

Charlotte leaned over slightly as Lucius spoke, peering past Warner to get a better look at Leomaris. "What about me now?" she asked.

Those words alone drew the atmosphere thick. She seemed to expect Leomaris to understand what she meant by them, and he did. He knew her well enough from the novel to interpret what she left unsaid.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"I think she wants to know what we think is lurking in the citadel right now," Leomaris interrupted.

Charlotte nodded in agreement and smiled.

Alfred stroked his chin briefly. "We can tell. We have this entire semester to figure it out."

Warner’s voice came through not long after. "Are you suggesting we start forming our factions?"

"Of course. We need to form our factions as soon as possible so we can begin effective planning sooner rather than later," Alfred said.

Lucius cut in before Alfred could conclude, his tone confident. "I think so too. If the citadel’s malevolent energy has been exposed to other creatures somehow, then with it being a Great Citadel, the longer we wait, the riskier things become."

Leomaris’s heart hammered. This was where his situation struck him most. Without a faction, he’d drag the Calamities down, and clearing a citadel with one or two members was out of the question. A good reputation needed to be built, and quickly.

Citadels stood as one of the five wonders of the world. During the Third Stage of Magic, when Dr. Zenith attempted a ritual, Citadels appeared in place of what he sought. They spread across the world, radiating a malevolent energy that turned animals exposed to their forces into creatures called Lords.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Four types of citadels existed, each distinguished by the amount of malevolent energy they let off: Lesser Citadels, Great Citadels, Epic Citadels, and Hellish Citadels.

’The malevolent energy of a Great Citadel is powerful enough to affect even weak and fragile humans... that’s why I need a strong faction.’

Somehow, Leomaris’s silence offended Alfred. His mind was still wandering when Alfred spoke.

"Can you pay attention, Leomaris? Oh, wait... are you considering how to form a faction?"

He laughed at his own joke. "You’d better quit. No one’s going to follow you. You should have thought of that before threatening the poor young lady."

"Act with some dignity, Ace." Lucius said, slightly angered.

"I’m beginning to wonder if you’re even qualified to be our Ace. How can you be this arrogant in the middle of professional matters?"

A slow exhale as he watched anger consume Alfred. His attention shifted toward Leomaris, sitting at the other side of the table.

"I would have joined your faction, Leomaris. There’s something far greater about you that people often overlook."

He wore a broad grin, eyes squeezing shut. "But that’s exactly why I can’t. I want to keep all of you as my rivals... so we can push each other to grow stronger."

Leomaris was familiar with the heavy contrast between Lucius’s character in Arcane Mercenary and the one before him, but the kindness and freedom he carried still managed to surprise him.

Even his contractual cost for the possession of the Timeless Entity had been the loss of emotions and senses.

He could use Learn to dig into whether Lucius had anything to hide, but until Lucius showed signs of something suspicious, it would serve no purpose. And regardless, it wouldn’t save him from the cost of using Mystery’s ability.

He gave Lucius a practised smile. "Don’t worry. I will be glad to be your rival."

"Ha! That’s the spirit."

When Lucius spoke, Charlotte leaned Leomaris’s way once more. "Me." She said it plainly, but it landed like a shout.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A furrowed brow from Leomaris. "You want to join my faction?"

She nodded energetically.

’Bingo!’ Leomaris celebrated in silence.

"I will be honored to have you, Charlotte."

He was certain of this much. Charlotte and Hazel were the most likely to join his faction, and yet he didn’t want to fully claim them until they declared it themselves.

Warner’s eyes went to Alfred, expecting him to close out the meeting, but he was so wounded by Lucius’s words that his mind had gone somewhere beyond reach.

Speaking on Alfred’s behalf, Warner cleared his throat. "I believe we can end our first meeting here. We must meet regularly to share information."

Then, without warning, Leomaris got to his feet.

First to excuse himself from the strategy room, he headed directly to the Grand Library. Where his journey to redeem himself began.