The act of revealing the formula he independently developed could be seen as a significant loss from the perspective of ordinary mages.
Mages typically made a name for themselves through the magic they created, kept its secrets well-guarded, and passed them on to their disciples to enhance their own value.
However, Shane had no intention of living as an ordinary mage.
In the first place, this level of formula was not that difficult, as the elder-level mages of the magic tower could easily figure it out once they came into contact with the elves.
Since it would be known eventually, it was more beneficial for him to release the information and gain recognition from the mages, which would greatly help his reputation in the long run.
“Haha, good fortune has come to our magic tower.”
Caden laughed heartily.
I envy him! This boy’s reputation will last a long time.
Mages valued abstinence as much as they valued their honor.
Although the formula Shane revealed this time was only basic, it was fundamental and closest to the roots.
Whenever magic related to energy advanced in the future, Shane’s formula would be the foundation. This meant his fame would spread widely among mages.
And this at the young age of just eighteen.
What was I doing at that age?
Of course, now that Caden had become an elder of a magic tower, he hadn’t spent his youth recklessly, but his own achievements seemed to pale compared to Shane’s.
While Caden was briefly lost in self-reflection, Shane continued speaking.
“By the way, Sir Caden, what happened with the matter I mentioned last time?”
“Oh, that. I started working on it as soon as I heard you had returned safely. There shouldn’t be any difficulties with the process. As long as we have the elves’ permission, finding a mage to extract energy from the Great Mezaiya Forest shouldn’t be too hard.”
Previously, when Shane and Caden were conducting research together, Shane had proposed a few business ideas.
The primary idea was to extract energy from the Great Mezaiya Forest with the help of the elves and sell it.
Shane planned to create recovery magic scrolls using this energy and believed it would be a profitable endeavor.
The most important part was recruiting mages to develop the magical flasks that would contain the energy.
In this aspect, Caden who was an elder mage with experience in various ventures was perfect for the job.
“Then that’s a relief.”
“But to make it smoother, I’ll need your help too.”
“Should I attend the banquet this time?”
“You catch on quickly. Haha, that’s right.,”
Caden’s connections would certainly have some influence, but if the Great Mezaiya Forest was to be opened, Shane needed someone to persuade the mages to be dispatched there.
“I’ll stay here and help until time allows.”
“Hmm, very well. Do you have any other plans afterward?”
“Yes. There is an upcoming rank assessment, right?”
“Ah, that’s right.”
The rank assessment led by the coalition.
Because of this, the fifth-year students at the academy were busy preparing even now.
Caden understood since it was an event that only happened twice a year.
“Then are you planning to attend the banquet starting today?”
“There’s no need to delay the work.”
“Alright. Then I’ll finish my preparations quickly and join you. Let’s go together.”
“Yes, understood.”
In his previous life, Shane had little to do with banquets. In fact, he had nothing but bad experiences with them.
Because of this, he didn’t particularly like banquets, but if he considered it as work, he could manage.
Most importantly, unlike in his previous life, Shane was the main character of the banquet this time.
The banquet had been going on for five days already.
Since today was the last day, there were fewer mages present compared to the previous days.
Thanks to this, Shane who had been forming connections with mages through Caden’s introductions over the past few days had some free time to drink wine alone on the terrace.
Have I gathered most of what I need?
All the preparations for the opening of the Great Mezaiya Forest were complete.
Once the elves officially appeared and began interacting with humans in earnest, additional benefits would naturally follow without Shane needing to intervene.
The only regret he had was that the person he had hoped to meet at this banquet had not shown up.
Even though he had spent some alone time amidst his busy schedule, the person he had been waiting for still hadn’t appeared, and he was about to organize his thoughts again when it happened.
“Hello there, gentleman?”
Suddenly, the voice he had been waiting for spoke from behind him.
On the surface, the current empire maintained a state of peace.
In reality, there were no external forces opposing the empire, and the citizens were also feeling quite comfortable due to the continued economic boom.
However, the current First Princess Zephyr D. Arsha Olicia knew that the situation was not as good as it seemed.
Eight years ago, the former Crown Prince, Olicia’s eldest brother and the one designated as the next emperor, died in a sudden accident.
A fierce political struggle ensued over who would take the suddenly vacant position of Crown Prince.
Moreover, the emperor hesitated to designate an heir.
Father’s indecisiveness is part of the problem, but the bigger problem is my brother’s blatant ambition.
Although the emperor appeared uncertain…. Olicia who had a natural talent for reading people’s true nature was convinced.
Her second brother Zephyr D. Wyatt Samuel was as cunning as a snake.
A snake that was extremely poisonous and hid itself in the bushes.
To the extent that even the emperor was skeptical. Samuel melted into those around him with a benevolent smile which resembled that of his father.
Because of this, Samuel was already being called the Crown Prince among the nobles but…
Olicia had no intention of letting that stand.
However, it was also true that she was not in a good position.
After all, wasn’t her twin sister Anastasia the one who challenged Samuel and was now banished to the northern regions?
In that place, with its harsh weather all year round, she had to fend off the annual monster waves. She had no time to concern herself with external matters.
Still, it’s too early to give up.
Because of this, Olicia kept a low profile and was actively seeking out talents who could become her allies.
Until last year, she focused on the nobles who had entered the imperial court, but her perspective has long since shifted.
Though imperial power was important, in reality, those who wielded true international influence were the nobles affiliated with the coalition.
Naturally, this led her to focus on the Coalition’s Academy where the children of such nobles gathered.
During this time, several talents caught her eye, and among them, one boy left a deep impression on her.
His long black hair flowed down just below his shoulders, and his dark roseberry-colored eyes betrayed no emotion.
The boy looked at her. His eyes were the same color as the wine swirling in the moonlit glass.
Clayton R. Shane.
A young genius who had a big impact on the cradle which had opened for the first time in a hundred years.
“Hello there, gentleman?”
The boy slowly bowed his head at Olicia’s words.
“I am honored to meet someone more noble than this wine, which was born from decades of craftsmanship.”
Despite his simple movements, his demeanor exuded grace and dignity.
“Oh my. Do you recognize me?”
Unexpectedly, even though she was wearing a mask to avoid others’ attention, Shane immediately recognized her.
“You are known as one of the two flowers of the Empire. I’m not foolish enough to forget one of the only two in the world.”
“Oh my. Thank you for saying that. I saw you once in the hallway of the academy back then, right?”
“Yes.”
Olicia thought Shane’s reaction was better than she had expected.
Though it was hard to read his emotions because he still had an unreadable expression on his face, he wasn’t avoiding her either.
The more Olicia looked at Shane, the more intrigued she felt.
Until now, she had easily read the nature of anyone she met even if just briefly.
But, even back then and again now,
She couldn’t catch even a glimpse of Shane’s inner self.
As this was the first time she had ever experienced anything like this, she fell into silence for a moment and just stared at him until Shane spoke first.
“But what brings you here?”
“Although I am flattered to be called the flower of the Empire, there’s no rule that says the flower must wait for the bees, is there? So, I came to see you.”
“You’re bold. But unfortunately, I don’t think I can give you the answer you’re looking for.”
Olicia sighed inwardly at Shane’s words.
As expected, has my brother already secured him?
Her attempt to recruit talent without Samuel noticing seemed to be failing.
But there must be a reason why Samuel did not take action himself even though Shane had this much talent.
“Unfortunately, I am engaged to Anais of the Knights of Judgment. Also, I am looking for someone else.”
“I… see.”
This was news to her.
The Knights of Judgment was an imperial order that recently supported her brother’s actions.
Those who wielded the aura of the white lion were originally not supposed to show political tendencies, but seven years ago, after the death of their leader Lindberg K. Robert, they had been taking a very different path.
And now he was engaged to Robert’s daughter?
It was unfortunate to lose Shane, but she gained more valuable information than she had expected.
But would he have given such information without a reason?
Olicia’s instincts told her that shouldn’t be the case.
“Do you have something else to tell me?”
“Yes. Outwardly, I am bound to my family, but my younger brother is not.”
“Oh…”
“Make sure to arm yourself with the strength to protect yourself.”
“…Good advice.”
Of course, Klein was also one of the talents she had been considering.
In fact, before Shane had made a name for himself, she had been mainly focused on Klein.
“And you should pay close attention to the shadows beneath.”
“The shadows…. Beneath?”
“Yes. More often than not, there are precious things hidden there that people fail to notice.”
“Hmm…”
At first glance, it might sound confusing but…
In the Imperial family, which was rife with relentless political strife, Olicia who was secretly building her own power while avoiding Samuel’s gaze understood the meaning of those words.
Shadows, beneath.
Wasn’t there a city in this Coalition that could be said to be the shadow of humanity?
Below the ground, there was an underground city.
And one of the Knights of Judgment had recently died at the villa of Count Salier, who was a key figure in the underground city.
Publicly and within the imperial family, this incident was known as the Judgment Knights once again correcting the empire’s darkness.
Even Olicia had sensed something was off, but she thought it didn’t stray far from the big picture.
Now that she heard this, she definitely felt something suspicious.
Count Salier once ran a famous merchant guild. The Clayton family also manages a huge merchant guild.
However, the son of the Clayton family and the daughter of the Knights of Judgment were engaged right after that incident.
Could this really be considered a coincidence?
At least Olicia didn’t think so.
This was certainly valuable information.
The Knights of Judgment were connected to the underground city?
It would have impacted the imperial family’s reputation negatively, but it was a significant weakness to exploit.
The Knights of Judgment were probably her brother’s greatest assets.
But why tell me this?
Olicia’s mind started to race.
This was certainly valuable information, but the one revealing it was Shane himself.
What was his purpose in telling her this?
It was hard to trust him hastily, especially when it was unclear whether he was an enemy or an ally but it was also impossible to ignore his words entirely.
Samuel could be setting a trap to ensnare her.
But using the Knights of Judgment?
That wasn’t a gamble the cunning Samuel would take.
At the very least, Samuel wouldn’t underestimate Olicia’s influence in the imperial family.
While her mind was spinning with these thoughts, Shane spoke.
“I know a friend who can help you with this matter. He sits quietly in one place and sees a thousand miles ahead.”
“…Huh?”
“Meet with the second son of the Bernshtein Marquis family. You must recruit him. He’s not an easy one, so don’t let your guard down.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Then, I’ll take my leave. I hope that next time we meet, we can do so with our true selves.”
Before she could even ask what he meant in this already complicated situation, Shane had left his seat, leaving Olicia alone to ruffle her neatly arranged hair.
“Haaah. This is so difficult.”
Olicia who had come to recruit talent sighed deeply at the unexpected task she was handed.
She picked up the wine glass Shane had left behind and drank it all in one go, then straightened herself and gazed at the moonlight above.
Brother Chloe… why did you leave so early? Everything is too difficult for Olicia. Everything.
Whenever she felt overwhelmed, she would be reminded of her eldest brother who always looked at her with a truly gentle smile, not a masked one.
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