Chapter 42: A Stroll and a Snare

Baroque Vincent pushed open the heavy door of the private room, a triumphant smile plastered across his face.

He meticulously straightened his crisp, new seven-ring mage robe, the emblem on his chest reflecting a captivating magical radiance under the dim corridor lights.

As the most gifted scion of the Vincent family in this generation, his recent ascension to a seven-ring mage made him feel as though the entire world lay beneath his feet.

A servant humbly approached him.

“Lord Vincent.”

Baroque Vincent let out a haughty ‘Hmph’ from his nose, addressing the servant with a slight tilt of his chin, his tone dripping with condescension.

“Ready the carriage; we are going to the Magic Association Headquarters.”

Moments later.

“My lord, the carriage is prepared.”

***

Klein and Lia traversed the grand hall, preparing to step onto the teleportation platform that would take them back to the mage tower.

Lia’s steps suddenly faltered.

“Wait.”

Klein turned to look at her.

Lia pointed towards the bustling street outside the association’s grand entrance, bathed in sunlight, her voice imbued with an irrepressible yearning.

“Could we… could we go out for a stroll?”

She added, a cautiousness she herself seemed unaware of lacing her tone.

“I’ve been in the Royal Capital for so long, yet I haven’t once had the chance to truly explore it.”

Having spoken, she gazed at Klein with a touch of trepidation, already bracing herself for a cold refusal, perhaps about ‘wasting time.’

Klein regarded her silently for two seconds.

He uttered not a single word.

Instead, he simply turned, his long legs carrying him silently towards the main entrance.

Lia paused, stunned for a moment, before a brilliant smile blossomed across her face, like the first meltwater of early spring; she immediately scurried after him.

The instant they stepped out of the Magic Association Headquarters, the warm sunlight and the city’s clamor enveloped them.

Lia was like a bird freed from an invisible cage, her eyes eagerly scanning everything on the bustling street.

Magic-driven carriages glided silently over the cobblestone streets, their bodies shimmering with elegant enchantment patterns. Street vendors hawked glowing mushrooms and small metal birds that flapped their wings.

Lia’s gaze was utterly captivated by this vibrant world.

Unbeknownst to her, Klein, walking behind her, silently traced an incredibly intricate, minuscule rune in the air with his fingertip.

An energy field, imperceptible to the naked eye, subtly twisted the light around her, poised to deflect any physical attack; meanwhile, a more intricate layer of protection quietly integrated itself into her mage robe, ready to instantly absorb and neutralize most malicious elemental forces.

Several top-tier defensive spells, each belonging to different schools of magic, enveloped Lia like an invisible veil, stirring not even the faintest ripple of magical energy.

Before long, Lia’s steps were ensnared by a small snack stall.

It was something called ‘Caramel Puff Fruits,’ baked to a golden crisp and exuding an irresistibly rich, sweet aroma.

She leaned closer, inhaling deeply of the scent, then instinctively reached for her utterly empty pockets.

Ah.

‘I’ve forgotten I’m utterly penniless,’ she thought.

A hint of disappointment crept onto her cheeks. Reluctantly, she moved away, forcing herself to look elsewhere and continue walking.

Behind her, Klein paused briefly at the stall.

In less than two seconds.

The vendor enthusiastically handed him a large, full paper bag.

The paper bag vanished from Klein’s hand, instantly stored within his spatial inventory.

When Lia, still nursing a slight vexation, glanced back, Klein remained three paces behind her, his expression unreadable, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Lia’s attention was soon captivated by the display window of a magic item shop.

Within the window, an alchemical skeleton was autonomously assembling its own body, while nearby, a small elemental orb floated mid-air, constantly shifting colors.

It was a ‘Doo-doo-doo-da-doo-da’!

‘How incredibly cool!’ she thought.

Just as she was about to step inside to investigate further, a familiar figure appeared unexpectedly beside Klein.

Lia sensed a surge of magical energy and whirled around.

It was Horace.

Her curiosity instantly eclipsed all else, and she dashed back a few steps.

“Master Horace!” she exclaimed, gazing up at the nine-ring Archmage with an urgent tone. “Master Laplace… how is he? You didn’t end up fighting, did you?”

Horace waved his hand dismissively, exuding the casual air of someone who had just handled a minor inconvenience.

“He’s lying down, won’t die. A healing mage is attending to him. When I left, he was still muttering nonsense like ‘the world has collapsed’ and ‘gravity is not a force.’” Horace grinned. “He’ll probably be questioning his entire existence for days while confined to his bed.”

Lia breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Good, as long as he’s not dead,’ she thought.

At that moment, her gaze fell upon the emblem on Horace’s chest.

It wasn’t the brilliant star representing a nine-ring Archmage, but a six-ring emblem, meticulously maintained by its owner, polished to a gleam, and sparkling under the sunlight.

Horace noticed her gaze, and the smile on his face softened.

“I’m off to meet an old friend,” he said, raising a hand to gently touch the emblem with his fingertip, a tenderness in the gesture that Lia had never witnessed before. “No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say I’m going to see my wife. Today is a special day.”

A soft, reminiscent glow appeared on his face as he recalled bygone days.

“We met when we were both six-ring mages. When we confessed our feelings for each other back then, I was wearing this very outfit,” he mused. “In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed.”

Lia was utterly dumbfounded. She found it impossible to reconcile the old man before her, lost in nostalgic memories of love, with the mathematics-obsessed lunatic who had been ready to brawl at a moment’s notice in the lounge.

‘The contrast is simply too stark,’ she thought.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the street, within the shadows of an alleyway.

Baroque Vincent finally locked onto his target.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze, like a predatory viper, fixed immovably on the girl laughing and chatting by the shop entrance.

That was her: Klein’s mysterious apprentice, Lia.

He observed Lia conversing with a white-haired old man; they appeared to be engaged in a cheerful discussion. Baroque Vincent’s gaze shifted to the old man, noting the six-ring emblem on his chest, polished to a dazzling shine.

A sneer curled Baroque Vincent’s lips.

‘Just a newly promoted six-ring old fool,’ he scoffed internally, ‘likely a pathetic wretch who only barely broke through after decades of accumulating seniority. Only someone like him would polish his emblem to perfection, like a nouveau riche trying desperately to draw attention.’

‘Utterly laughable,’ he concluded.

His gaze then moved again, searching for Klein’s figure.

He found him. Klein stood not far away, his back turned, seemingly preoccupied with trinkets at another roadside stall.

‘Completely distracted,’ he thought.

Baroque Vincent’s breath quickened instantly, his heart pounding violently with extreme exhilaration.

‘A somewhat talented young girl.’

‘A newly promoted, old six-ring good-for-nothing.’

‘A seven-ring mage whose attention has been diverted by trivial trinkets.’

‘A heaven-sent opportunity!’

In his estimation, any elaborate scheme would be an insult to himself when facing such an overwhelming disparity in power.

His intention was to simply seize her directly, using the most straightforward method possible, right before the old man and Klein’s eyes!

He would leave them no time to even react!

‘This is the quickest way to make a name for myself in front of Marcus and his old foxes!’ he inwardly declared.

Baroque Vincent crouched low, his magical energy surging at a specific, high frequency, as the spell model of the Force Field school instantly materialized within his spiritual sea.

‘Distance, speed, their reaction time… everything is within my grasp!’

‘This is a guaranteed victory!’

‘Now!’

“Boom!”

He burst forth from the alley’s shadows like a cannonball fired from its barrel!

The air tore with a shriek that even drowned out the clamor of the marketplace!

A massive hand, imbued with the furious magical energy of a force field, surged forward with an aura of absolute destruction, covering several meters in an instant, reaching directly for that unsuspecting, petite figure!