Lillian extended a slender finger, carefully and gently touching the invisible Domain barrier around the sword’s blade.

A flicker of light appeared at her fingertip, but the moment it touched the edge of the Domain, it silently extinguished like a snuffed-out candle flame.

"How magical... It can actually sever the Elements..."

Lillian murmured to herself, her eyes gleaming with fascination.

But her amazement was short-lived.

After the initial shock, her interest in the sword quickly returned to an academic one.

She was more concerned with the principles behind the sword than its power.

After all, to a Mage, even the most powerful weapon was less appealing than a novel Magic Rune.

She was more concerned with her own Domain.

"Brother, I haven’t been idle during this time either."

A mysterious and proud smile suddenly appeared on Lillian’s face, like a child who had hidden a treasure to present to an adult.

She opened her pale palm, and a small, orange-red flame ignited out of thin air in its center.

The flame looked unremarkable, no different from an ordinary candle flame.

But Raylo keenly sensed that the Fire Element in the surrounding air was madly converging on that small flame at an extremely unusual speed.

The flame grew at a visible rate, its color gradually changing from orange-red to a pure gold.

Its temperature rose sharply, and even the air began to distort, emitting scorching waves of heat.

Lillian’s eyes shimmered with confident light.

"My teacher said my talent is being fully awakened. My affinity for the Fire Element is now at least twice as strong as before."

With a light flick of her wrist, the golden flame danced nimbly at her fingertips, morphing—at one moment into a fluttering fire butterfly, the next into a blooming flame rose. It was full of spirit and beauty, a stark contrast to its terrifyingly high temperature.

"And that’s not all."

Lillian retracted the flame, her smile growing even brighter.

"I can feel the threshold of a breakthrough. I’ll be able to cross it very soon."

Raylo’s heart stirred.

"A Tier Three Advanced Mage?"

"Mhm!"

Lillian nodded emphatically, her amber eyes shining astonishingly bright.

"In half a month at most, I’ll definitely break through!"

Raylo was genuinely happy for her.

Lillian’s talent was undeniable. Now, with the boost from the Heart of the Fire Element, the speed of her progress could only be described as terrifying.

Perhaps in just a few years, the Amber Territory would have its own young Great Mage.

The brother and sister looked at each other and smiled.

The warm dinner didn’t last long.

Lillian was on the verge of a breakthrough and needed to focus on her Meditation, while Raylo was preoccupied with the affairs of his territory and didn’t want to stay too long. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The siblings said their goodbyes at the castle entrance.

"Be careful on your way, Brother."

Lillian stood on the steps, the evening wind blowing through her long hair.

"Don’t worry. You too, just focus on preparing for your breakthrough."

Raylo swung himself onto Baofeng’s back.

Baofeng let out a piercing cry, beat its wings once, and kicked up a powerful gust of air. Its massive body shot up from the ground, instantly melting into the deep night sky.

Lillian kept her head raised until the huge silhouette had completely vanished behind the clouds, only then did she turn and return to the castle.

The moonlight was like flowing water, and the night wind was crisp and cool.

The high-altitude air currents were bone-chilling, but to Raylo’s formidable physique, it was merely a refreshing coolness that cleared his head.

He looked down at the sprawling mountains and forests below, which appeared as a series of silhouettes of varying shades under the moonlight.

The silhouette of the Black Stone Mountain Range’s ridge stretched out in the darkness, like the spine of a slumbering Giant Beast.

By the time he returned to Black Stone Castle, it was late at night.

The castle was still brightly lit. When the servants and guards saw their Lord return, they all bowed in greeting.

Raylo only managed to rest for two hours before Ed knocked on his door just as dawn was breaking.

"My Lord, the Duke’s Special Envoy has arrived. He has been waiting for a long time."

"A Special Envoy?"

Raylo was a little surprised.

"Yes, he arrived yesterday afternoon and has been waiting for your return."

Raylo raised an eyebrow.

’The Duke’s Special Envoy? So soon?’

"Have him wait for me in the drawing room."

After quickly washing up, Raylo changed into his daily lordly attire and walked into the drawing room.

The Special Envoy was a stern-faced, middle-aged nobleman, impeccably dressed. Upon seeing Raylo enter, he immediately stood and performed a flawless courtly bow.

"Count Raylo, on behalf of the Duke, I extend to you his greetings."

"Mr. Andre, you’ve had a long journey."

Raylo gestured for him to sit.

"What decree does the Duke have for me?"

Special Envoy Andre dispensed with pleasantries. He took a wax-sealed sheepskin scroll from a leather portfolio he carried and presented it with both hands.

"Lord Earl, please take a look."

Raylo took the scroll. With a slight twitch of his finger, the fire wax seal melted and fell away on its own.

He unrolled the scroll.

The decree’s content was not complex, but its logic struck Raylo as absurd.

His Highness Eliot claimed to have been wrongly accused. To clear his name, he was, in accordance with the Empire’s ancient noble tradition, issuing a "Sacred Duel" challenge to Count Raylo. He hoped to prove his innocence with sword and honor under the witness of the ancient gods.

Raylo’s first reaction was that it was absurd.

’A Sacred Duel?’

’An assassin demanding that his intended victim prove *his* innocence through a duel?’

’This was easily the most shameless joke he had ever heard.’

’He couldn’t even comprehend what was so sacred about this so-called "ancient tradition."’

’Putting the victim in danger once again was, in itself, the greatest desecration of fairness.’

Special Envoy Andre continued to speak, his voice a little less formal and a little more personal than before.

"Lord Earl, the Duke also has a few verbal instructions for me to relay."

Raylo lowered the scroll and looked up at him.

"The Duke says that His Highness Eliot was first to plot treachery. As of yesterday, he has been thrown into the Royal Capital’s dungeons to await judgment."

The Special Envoy’s pace slowed, and his phrasing became more subtle.

"As for this duel... the Duke knows you have just been through a great battle and are exhausted in body and mind, and that the affairs of your territory are numerous and complex. If the Lord Earl does not have the time at the moment, this duel can be ’appropriately’ postponed until you feel you are fully prepared."

Raylo immediately understood the subtext.

’The Duke doesn’t actually want this duel to happen.’

’Refusing would go against the so-called noble tradition, damage his personal prestige, and give others a pretext to call him a coward.’

’But "postponing" was different. That was a gray area that could be exploited indefinitely.’

’The Duke was offering him a way out, letting him decide for himself when he would be "fully prepared."’

Standing to the side, Ed was already seething with anger. He clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms bulging.

Hearing the Special Envoy’s words, he could no longer hold back. He took a step forward and knelt on one knee before Raylo.

"My Lord! This is a humiliation to you! How can we tolerate such arrogance from that shameless villain! I am willing to fight in your place and defend your honor with my sword!"

His voice, firm and resolute, echoed through the drawing room.

’Fight in his place?’

Raylo’s interest was piqued, and he looked at the Special Envoy.

"According to tradition, can the duel indeed be fought by a proxy Knight?"

"Yes, Lord Earl."

Special Envoy Andre nodded.

"According to tradition, both parties in the duel may designate a Knight to serve as their champion and fight on their behalf."

"Very well."

An idea instantly sparked in Raylo’s mind.

"If I were to invite Commander-in-Chief Gaius, or perhaps Marquis Luke, to fight in my stead, would that also be within the rules?"