Nolan's eyes narrowed. How did an outsider receive something from the Patriarch after they were raided by the army? Or did the mercenary went to fetch an item from the Patriarch before the raid happened?

Seeing Nolan's thoughtful expression, Stella smiled slightly.

"You know, you're free to ask any question. Since you're going to work for me as an exclusive mercenary, I'm not going to be stingy when sharing information."

"That's good then. So, when did you make contact with the Regis?"

Stella shook her head and replied, "We didn't. I've only come up with that based on the pieces of information from Malek's vision."

Nolan frowned, "Are you telling me I only have your words to rely on?"

"You know my magic works well with Malek's vision?" Stella replied without answering him.

"What the f*ck does that even-."

"It's better for you to see the vision yourself don't you think?"

As soon as Stella finished speaking, several different-sized golden clocks appeared and formed a half-sphere around them.

Waving her right hand, one golden clock turned into a semi-transparent golden orb and flew in her direction. When she reached out and took the orb in her hand, her light blue eyes turned gold.

She looked at Nolan and said, "Let me show you."

Their whole surrounding shifted as different scenes of past present and future seemed to intermingle.

A blinding light enveloped them and Nolan was forced to closed his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw himself in the middle of what seemed like a battlefield.

Buildings were burning, bodies of humans and beasts that were either burned or mutilated were lying on the ground.

Nolan's blood ran cold. He recognized the bodies from their clothes. These people were from the Royal Army and the Regis Clan.

The beasts were also from the Regis. They were the beasts tamed by the Regis' combat specialists.

If Kyran were to see this scene, Nolan could only imagine the kid's expression turning murderous.

From a distance, he heard explosions and screams filled the cold night air.

The scene suddenly shifted and he was now inside the Regis Throne Room.

He found himself face to face with Patriarch Aron and Cade.

Seeing the two of them, a nostalgic feeling swept through him.

"I no longer have a spirit to help me, but with Lady Lumi' assistance, she can enter the spirit world to travel and deliver this to your friend."

A silken voice of a woman spoke from behind.

Nolan could not help but took a sharp breath upon hearing the voice. He reluctantly turned to look at the owner of the voice.

There he saw Rin, looking as beautiful as ever.

'Rin...' A small smile escaped Nolan's lips. 'I know Cade will take care of you. I'm glad.'

Rin was facing a man with silver long hair who looked a little exhausted. She lifted her left hand and a two-inches long golden cylindrical tube appeared on top of her palm.

Nolan's eyes narrowed as he felt very ancient and dangerous magic contained within the tube.

"That item is dangerous, Spirit Child." A cute cold voice said.

An Ice Spirit suddenly appeared with a small puff and sat on top of the silver-haired man's head.

The man's expression distorted a little but he did not say anything.

"If it is taken out of the Regis Terram, they will stir." The Ice Spirit continued.

''Regis Terram? 'They'?' Nolan frowned. He had been to the Regis Estate but he never heard or seen that place.

"Yes. But if Lady Lumi will assist us..."

The Ice Spirit sighed, "Very well. I can use my magic to camouflage its power."

Rin smiled, "Thank you Lady Lumi."

"I am only helping you because you are the favored child of the Queen. If it is any other spirit user, I won't even bat an eye and freeze that human to death."

Nolan's brow twitched. The Ice Spirit's appearance and voice were cute and all but she spoke of some scary shit.

Lumi, the Ice Spirit, lifted her little chubby hands and the golden cylindrical tube lifted off Rin's hand. Light blue snow dust converged and covered the tube. Soon the snow dust solidified and turned into a three-inches wide ice orb.

The scene shifted once again, and now Nolan stood inside a dilapidated house and was looking at a profile of a huge bald man.

In front of the bald man, Lumi hovered while she gave him the ice orb.

Nolan scowled after seeing the bald man.

'How come he looked familiar? Have I met this guy before?' he wondered. But since he could not recall where he met this man he just shrugged it off and made a mental note that he was probably the man he needed to find.

He needed to request a photo from Stella.

Suddenly the whole room dissolved and was replaced by another battlefield.

Nolan was standing outside a train station and the whole place was destroyed.

Black-hooded figures were drifting all over the place as civilians and mages screamed trying to run away from them.

Near the wrecked entrance of the station, the huge bald man was lying on the ground, bathing in his own blood.

Nolan saw the bald man's body had been mutilated.

A huge man in an oversized hooded black robe with a long scythe made of silver and diamond in one hand stood near the bald man.

Black mist surrounded the hem of the man's black robes that when he moved he appeared to be drifting in the air.

The robed man moved and knelt down. He reached out for the ice orb that was still held tightly by the bald man's chopped-off hand. However, the moment his diamond-clawed hands touched the orb, a small crack appeared on its surface and the ancient and dangerous power from the tube leaked out.

Immediately the surrounding air crackled and the sky turned dark. Black clouds formed and filled the sky. Thunder roared as dark bolts of lightning flashed.

Amidst the black clouds, huge red reptilian eyes appeared one after another. They all looked down on the black-robed man.

Upon seeing the eyes on the clouds, Nolan's insides churned and he had the impulse to coughed out a mouthful of blood.

Just from a mere gaze from those eyes, Nolan's defenses were already broken to the point his insides were damaged? What entity did those eyes belong to?

Although his insides were not really damaged because this was only a scene from a vision if Nolan really saw those eyes, would he be able to escape unscathed?

The surrounding suddenly converged and Nolan found himself back at Stella's quarters.

Stella was looking at him with a solemn expression with her eyes already in their normal light blue color.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Nolan scowled, "What the f*ck is in that tube? How can a small leak of its power could summon that... those f*cking... What the f*ck are those?"

Stella remained silent and simply stared back at him.

Nolan gritted his teeth. He knew the expression on Stella's face. The old hag had the same expression whenever she couldn't answer Kyran because it would break her oath.

But Stella made an oath to Kyran. And a mage could only make one oath in her lifetime. Could she have taken a different kind of oath? For example, the Regis clan had a similar one called 'mark' in order to bind a person.

No, if Stella was marked by a Regis, Kyran would have sensed it. However, he did not react. He was even hostile toward her.

Then did it mean that she couldn't answer because...

'Telling me might mean betraying the kid?' Nolan wondered and glanced in Kyran's direction.

He remembered Stella's exact words when she made the oath to Kyran.

''Will never betray and will only act in his best interests'.'

From the way the Ice Spirit spoke of what was inside the tube, a group of some 'kind' would sense its power if taken out the 'Regis Terram'.

Were they hostile against the power inside the tube? Or was the power inside could simply attract them? Why would the Regis give the item to the Conclave? Was it related to Kyran's magic? And how did the Regis got hold of such a dangerous item?

Nolan looked back at Stella. Maybe she could not answer him as well because she didn't know the answer?

Apart from that, if he did find the bald man, there was a chance he would need to face the black-robed man in the vision.

"You want me to protect that baldie against that robed man? You realize who that robed man is?"

Stella smiled, "Yes. I do."

"And you still want me to go against that guy?"

"I am confident in your ability."

Nolan sneered, "Aren't you afraid that if I am exposed, the Conclave will be implicated along with the Mercenary Hall?"

"I have complete confidence in your ability," Stella rephrased her previous statement and emphasized the word complete with a meaningful smile.

"Besides, even if you do meet him, its not like he know you are from the Mercenary Hall. "

Nolan sneered, "He will connect me to them since I'll be saving a mercenary."

"Not unless you interfere as a third party."

Nolan raised an eyebrow, "Oh. So that's what you meant about me doing some work for 'you'."

Stella smiled, "Of course. I am employing you personally. The Conclave has nothing to do with it."

"Why do you care so much about the Regis?"

Stella lowered her gaze to avoid Nolan's eyes.

However, he already saw a flash of nostalgia almost like a deep yearning in her eyes.

"It's the Founder's will," she answered vaguely.

Nolan did not pry anymore. He, himself, had secrets and he knew this Missy had lots. She might seem to hide nothing but in fact, she barely told them anything.

"Right. Anyway, give me a photo of that baldie."

Stella looked at him in surprise, "Why? Is the vision not enough for you to remember his face?"

Nolan just gave her a blank expression, "Why else would I need one?"

Stella giggled, "That's a rare weakness."

"Just give me his f*cking photo,unless you want me to take all the baldies I find outside." He scowled.

"Here you go," she said and lifted her right hand. The golden ring on her middle finger lit up and a rolled-up parchment appeared in front of her. She waved her hand and it flew in Nolan's direction.

Nolan took the parchment and slipped it inside his cloak without looking at it.

"I'll leave the kid to you. But... don't jump him just because I'm not around."

Stella's face immediately reddened, "Y-You! I won't!"

"Ahahahaha!" Nolan laughed and covered his head with his cloak. Shadow-like fog seeped under his cloak and covered his whole body. Then the fog converged at the middle and vanished in thin air.

A smile escaped Stella's lips. For Nolan to be able to use his magic under her quarters' prohibition, he was indeed above a Magus and it seemed he did not mind revealing it to her.

It was not because he trusted her. It was more of a warning and she was well aware of that.

'Don't worry. I won't do anything to Kyran. He is someone very important to me too,' she thought and returned to Kyran's side.

====================

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of Gael's finger tapping the table filled the silence inside his office.

He was seated on his chair deep in thought.

Jax, who just finished his report, stood in front of Gael's study table, patiently waiting for him to speak.

It took another couple of minutes before Gael's finger finally stopped, and he looked at Jax.

"Have you found anything about the man who made a scene in front of the Regis estate this morning?" He asked.

"Sire?" Jax blinked. Gael's question threw him off guard.

He was more interested in that? It was true that the incident was part of his report but it was more like a piece of passing information.

"Well?" Gael did not repeat his question and just raised an eyebrow at Jax. 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝑙.𝘰𝑟𝑔

"They lost him in the forest, sire. But my men already knew what he looked like and-."

"Nevermind," Gale interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "I want you to get the boy's record at the Milfiore Military School. Make sure Dean Fallon doesn't find out. Then let your men deal with the Regis's defences. I want it down in three days."

"And the search?"

"I'll take care of that."

Jax opened his mouth and was about to ask what Gael plan to do but then decided against it. Gael's lenient attitude already made Jax wary. He was not complaining, but he was worried about not knowing what Gael was thinking.

"You're dismissed."

"Yes, Grand Marshal." Jax saluted and left.

After Jax left, Gael called for Fiona.

Fiona entered almost immediately and bowed to him.

"Grand Marshal," she greeted.

"Have the Mercenary Hall replied to our request?"

"They have acknowledged the change on the request, but they said the President hadn't approved it yet."

Gael frowned, "The bounty may be a high-profile one, but they already approved it. Why do they need the President's approval again?"

Fiona shook her head. "Apologies, Grand Marshal. When I mentioned that point, the Grand Master only told me that it is part of their process."

Gael let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. "Fine. When you get word from them, immediately contact me using my private channel."

"Yes, sire," Fiona answered and bowed once again.

"I'll be taking my leave. If there is an emergency, you know who to reach."

"Yes, sire."

Gael left immediately.

As he made his way to the building's exit, his shadow seemed to come alive and merged with his clothes.

When he reached the exit, his whole persona changed as his stature grew, and was now covered in an oversized black robe.

The two guards at the exit did not even react when Gael drifted past them. He simply left and blended into the darkness of the night.