Staring at the velvet box and the blue gem-adorned silver pendant thrust right before her, Aeliana blinked her eyes.
As someone who had just stepped out of the Silverleaf Forest, she did not understand why an old man she had met for the very first time was suddenly giving her such a luxurious gift for free.
Before the silence in the hall turned awkward, Lorien Caldwell acted swiftly.
Lorien leaned his body toward Aeliana. His hand touched her back with a gentle motion, offering a cue.
"Accept it, Aeliana, and thank the Tower Master," Lorien said in a calm tone of voice. "Such a high-tier protective item will be incredibly useful in ensuring your safety when we adventure through the dangerous places of this continent later."
It was a brilliant parry. Through a subtle emphasis on the words 'we adventure', Lorien snatched back the narrative of ownership.
He politely rejected Zareth's invisible offer to detain and foster Aeliana in the Magic Tower, while simultaneously affirming to the public that the [ArchMage] was under the umbrella of The Gilded Falcons.
Aeliana, who was still naïve and unaware of the verbal warfare occurring above her head, nodded obediently. She accepted the box and smiled sincerely.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Tower Master."
Zareth Caldris did not argue. He withdrew his hand and merely returned that expression of gratitude with a mysterious smile.
Sensing the tension beginning to settle, the Mayor of Wealden immediately clapped his hands softly, breaking the attention of the entire room.
"Honorable guests, let us briefly halt these formal matters," the Mayor exclaimed with a blooming smile. "The dinner banquet is ready."
The noble guests were directed toward a giant round table made of wood. The seating arrangement at that table was strictly organized, reflecting an invisible hierarchy of power.
Lorien and Aeliana were placed in the seats of honor near the Mayor, sitting directly across from Zareth Caldris and the Astora family on the other side of the table.
The strains of music from the bards' stringed instruments in the corner of the room flowed softly, trying hard to mask the night air that felt tense and full of calculation.
A line of neatly dressed servants marched in synchronously.
They placed the appetizers before the guests: a bowl of pottage—a warm, thick soup made from meat broth and choice vegetables that wafted a savory aroma—as well as slices of fresh fruit neatly arranged on silver trays to whet the appetite.
Demonstrating his noble blood, Lorien ate the appetizer with an upright posture and flawless etiquette, not allowing his spoon to clink against the bottom of the bowl.
Beside him, Aeliana followed with the natural elegance that indeed flowed within the Elf race.
While cutting a slice of apple on his plate with a silver knife, the Mayor looked toward Aeliana, beginning a subtle interrogation veiled in pleasantries.
"Lady Aeliana," the Mayor opened in a highly curious tone. "As a rare existence possessing a Hero-tier Aptitude, have you never scanned or realized the presence of such a grand aptitude before in your hometown?"
Aeliana placed her soup spoon down softly. She answered the question innocently.
"Elven society lives at a very relaxed pace due to our long lifespans, Lord Mayor," Aeliana explained, her voice as melodious as birdsong in the morning.
"We do not possess the custom of forcefully scanning aptitudes from an early age as is done here. We believe that every child will naturally find the path of their own aptitude as time passes, together with nature."
Hearing that philosophy, Zareth Caldris interjected with a slightly patronizing, paternal tone.
"A poetic philosophy," Zareth responded, setting down his wine glass. "However, is it not an incredible pity to waste such precious youth without training such a massive aptitude from the very beginning?"
Aeliana tilted her head slightly, staring at Master Zareth with an innocent expression. "But, my mother said I am not even considered an adult until I am one hundred years old. She gave me the freedom to go and do whatever I please right now to seek experience."
Hearing the figure 'one hundred years' referred to as not yet an adult, the human nobles at the table exchanged glances. Yet for Caspian Astora, it was the perfect opening to show off once again.
The young man puffed out his chest, staring at Aeliana with a proud smile.
"The human world moves at a much faster pace, Lady Aeliana. For comparison, I am only eighteen years old... yet I have already managed to reach the rank of a [Tier 3] Mage this afternoon."
Caspian awaited an awe-struck gaze or praise for his superiority. And Aeliana, who entirely failed to understand that the young man was flaunting his arrogance, responded with incredibly genuine admiration.
"Wow, that is truly amazing!" Aeliana praised with sparkling eyes, offering a sweet smile that made Caspian puff his chest out even further.
"When I was eighteen years old, I couldn't even cast magic above [Tier 1] properly."
In the seat beside her, Lorien gripped the stem of his wine glass tightly. His sharp eyes glanced around the table. He caught the hungry gazes of the old nobles who continued to press, intending to dig deeper for information from Aeliana.
If this conversation were allowed to continue flowing, Aeliana's innocence and honesty would unknowingly reveal far too many weaknesses and secrets to the nobles targeting her.
Time to pivot.
Lorien placed his cloth napkin slowly onto the table, cutting the topic off with an elegant verbal maneuver.
"Speaking of which," Lorien said, commanding attention, drawing all eyes away from Aeliana. "The presence of Earl Astora and his only son in Wealden City is truly a pleasant surprise."
Lorien looked straight at the Earl across the table. A formal smile was etched on his face, but his eyes stared sharply, searching for an opening. "What business, pray tell, brings a high noble family from the capital to trouble themselves coming all this way?"
Earl Astora, who had been quietly observing all this time, set his wine glass down calmly. The lines of his old noble face showed not the slightest hint of nervousness.
"I am merely on my way back after attending a grand auction in the neighboring kingdom," Earl Astora answered in a calm tone. "Unfortunately, I did not acquire the rare item I was targeting there."
The Earl paused for a moment. He shifted his gaze away from Lorien, then looked directly at Aeliana with a meaningful glint in his eyes.
"However..." Earl Astora continued slowly, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile. "While stopping briefly in Wealden to rest, I heard news far more valuable than any auction item: the appearance of someone with a Hero-tier Aptitude."
Hearing everyone at the table discussing her, Aeliana tilted her head. She looked at the row of noble faces and asked innocently, "Is a Hero-tier Aptitude truly that amazing?"
The Mayor of Wealden set his glass down slowly. His face turned incredibly serious.
"A Hero-tier Aptitude is not merely amazing, Lady Aeliana. It is exceptionally rare," the Mayor explained with an authoritative tone. "Throughout recorded history, the majority of the possessors of such aptitudes are those who have successfully left their names in the world's history through their unparalleled achievements and power."
As if those words were a cue, the Mayor gave a subtle signal with a snap of his fingers.
The servants lined up at the edge of the room immediately stepped forward soundlessly, clearing the appetizer soup bowls and replacing them with the main course.
Large silver platters were served onto the table. Upon them lay cuts of high-quality monster meat roasted to a perfect degree of doneness, revealing a tender, fibrous texture.
The sharp aroma of rich spices immediately greeted the senses, blending with a thick, brownish broth sauce simmering softly at the edges of the plate. Hot steam rose from the dish, filling the air of the hall with a fragrance and luxury that could only be enjoyed by a handful of elites behind thick walls.
Concurrent with the entrance of the main course, the specially prepared entertainment commenced.
An old bard stepped into the open area in the center of the room. He plucked the strings of his lute, creating a melancholic and epic melody that flowed harmoniously to accompany the guests' meal.
"Listen to the echoes of the past," the bard began to narrate with his heavy baritone voice. He brought forth a tale from the dark era after grand civilizations crumbled to ruin due to the demon invasion from the Abyss dimension.
"From the remaining ashes of civilization's destruction... a boy was born possessing the Aptitude of an [ArchMage]."
The bard intentionally placed an intonation emphasis on the word 'ArchMage', cleverly equating Aeliana's position at the table with the legendary figure.
"The boy grew with an unnatural love and obsession for the magical arts. His name was Merlin."
The strings were plucked faster, increasing the tempo. The bard sang of Merlin's journey traversing the world, piercing through various dangerous ancient ruins solely to gather the remaining fragments of knowledge from the golden age that had perished.
However, the tone of the lute slowly turned sorrowful.
"In his search, Merlin realized a tragic truth," the bard chanted. "This world had weakened drastically compared to the Ancient Era."
"Pure mana crystals were no longer naturally created in the wild, leaving only high-grade Mana Stones as the pinnacle of energy. And even more tragically... the foundation of both physical and spiritual strength of the new generation of humans was incredibly fragile when compared to their predecessors."
Zareth Caldris ate his meat calmly, enjoying the flow of the story that seemed specially designed to lull the ears of the young mage before him.
"Seeing that the denizens of this world would never be able to use the magic of the Ancient Era, which was far too complex and demanded massive energy," the bard continued, "Merlin utilized all the literature he salvaged to create a new foundation. He restructured magic so it could be learned by the weakened denizens of the world."
The bard explained how Merlin formed a new classification system called the Merlinian Scale. He divided it from [Tier 1] to [Tier 10] based on the difficulty of comprehension, ease of casting, and mana capacity requirements.
Suddenly, the plucking of the lute strings intensified. The tempo shifted sharply, pouring a thick nuance of conflict throughout the room.
"However, that innovation was not welcomed with open arms," the bard exclaimed, his voice echoing, bouncing off the marble walls. "The remaining old mages from the Ancient Era fiercely opposed it. To them, simplifying the sacred art of magic was an insult that demeaned the dignity of magic itself."
The bard's fingers danced rapidly over the strings, painting the tension of a battle.
"But Merlin did not flinch. Armed with his aptitude as an [ArchMage], he challenged those orthodox leaders. Upon the stone arena, he proved that in this era of dwindling mana reserves, the precision and efficiency of the Tier System were far more lethal and practical compared to complex, mana-wasting ancient spells."
"It was that decisive victory that silenced his detractors, establishing his system as the standard of magic across all corners of Orion," he chanted firmly.
After the climax of that battle was narrated, the plucking of the lute slowly decelerated, turning into a highly serene melody that invited sympathy. The bard turned his body slowly, intentionally directing his gaze to the seat of honor where Aeliana sat.
"Merlin, a youth from nowhere blessed with grand aptitude, was able to save civilization... not because he walked alone," the bard chanted with a specially designed tonal emphasis.
"He succeeded in fulfilling his grand destiny because he found the right mentor, and took shelter in a worthy place to forge his aptitude so history would not rot once more."
Right as that meaning-laden stanza was sung, Zareth Caldris slowly raised his glass of red wine. The Tower Master looked directly at Aeliana with a paternal smile that seemed to offer a path of salvation, then sipped his wine elegantly.
In the seat beside her, Lorien's jaw hardened. His grip on the cloth napkin in his lap tightened until his knuckles turned white. His eyes glared sharply at Zareth.
Lorien was perfectly aware that this entire epic musical performance was not mere dinner entertainment. It was a subtle brainwashing attempt to plant a sense of responsibility onto Aeliana's shoulders.
They wanted her to feel she carried the destiny of the world, coaxing her to be willing to leave the filthy streets with an adventurer party, and surrender herself completely into the grasp of the Magic Tower.
The bard bowed deeply, delivering his closing sentence dramatically.
"And the sacrifice and genius of Merlin, the Father of Modern Magic, will never fade with time," the bard said solemnly.
"His tale has been immortalized in the grand literature titled Merlin the Seeker of Truth... a masterpiece written by the Ghostwriter, Eon."