Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran only replied with a slight smile.

When the woman saw him smile, she could not help but tremble. It was not a sinister one, but she felt there was some dangerous meaning behind his smile for some reason.

On the other hand, True Void, who was silent the entire time after Kyran made a move, finally spoke.

[Void Halfing, I understand why you don't want to kill her. After all, becoming a new platform master was not part of the plan. But I think it is better than wasting more time playing mind games with this woman.]

He sighed before adding in a reprimanding voice.

[Why do you have to slip at a time like this, anyway? I just told you not to slip! Goodness! My goodness!]

Kyran could not help but sweat inwardly. What happened was not a slip on his end.

He was in a hurry to get rid of the woman and voluntarily suggested changes to the mechanism to avoid further discussion. Unfortunately, he overlooked the fact the mechanism was not written in runes but simple human language.

Others might find it an amateur mistake, but Kyran had just gone through knowledge training. He had absorbed several knowledge tablets written in different languages and familiarized himself with quite a number of runes. To him, everything looked the same. Apart from this, he had just encountered Loar from another plane who did not appear to be surprised that he, a human, managed to change his array calculation. For all he knew, a person from another plane could decipher another plane's runes or speak their language was normal inside the tower.

'Yes, it's my miss. But, I realized I could take advantage of the situation,' Kyran told True Void.

He did not say this to appease True Void's concern or cover his mistake. It was the truth.

[How?]

True Void asked curiously. If Kyran feigned innocence, he would rave at him for getting his hopes high.

'Just watch,' Kyran replied enigmatically.

Too bad True Void was not in his real form. If he did, he would have rolled his eyes at Kyran's mysterious act.

After almost three minutes of silence, the woman managed to compose herself. She stayed vigilant as she stood with her back straight. Her eyes no longer showed signs of her previous disbelief.

"Humph. It's your choice not to answer, of course. But remember that I am the platform master. Without my consent, you cannot—."

She abruptly stopped as the masked young man, standing a few meters away from her, suddenly disappeared, followed by something hot yet cold at the same time, touching her neck.

The woman's breath got caught in her throat as cold sweat trickled down the side of her face. Initially, she wanted to threaten the young man by telling her more about himself while using her status as the platform master. She decided to make use of the fact that he was in a hurry and appeared reluctant to kill her and go through the process of being given a chance to become the new platform master. To think that instead of feeling threatened, he would retaliate.

Once again, she did not see the young man move. There was not even a wisp of magic fluctuation around him before he disappeared and reappeared behind her back as for the weapon he was holding. She was sure he was holding a spear, but right now, the hot and cold blade tip she felt on her throat was not from a spear but a dagger.

"Let's get one thing straight," Kyran spoke close to the woman's ear. "It's my choice not to kill you out of respect, not because I don't want to be a platform master."

"Respect?" The woman asked with a sneer. She knew the young man's actions were simply to threaten her and reverse the situation. But as long as she was the platform master, he would not do anything drastic.

"Yeah," Kyran replied. "Because, unlike you, I don't have any plans on conquering the tower."

The woman's eyes widened after hearing him. She did not reply and chose to stay silent. However, her heart had started to pound nervously in her chest.

Did he notice something? Impossible. She was careful not to show her eagerness to conquer the tower.

The choice to conquer the tower was presented to all participants. However, few would really aim for it. She was one of the few because she wanted to acquire the Tower's promise of granting one's true desire.

True Void also perked his illusory ears at what Kyran said. The woman had not mentioned wanting to conquer the tower as far as he knew. Was he bluffing his way out?

Kyran was not bluffing. He actually realized this from the woman's attitude. Although he had only met Loar, and comparing his laid-back character to her serious and almost domineering one would not be enough to draw any definite conclusions, what he realized became a possibility if he added the small clues in her platform arrangement.

"Your heartbeat's too loud," Kyran continued chuckling as he leaned closer at her ear. "You don't have to be nervous."

The woman let out a light laugh, but it sounded forced and even awkward due to her nervousness. She wanted to refute the young man's provocation, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've already started your path in conquering the tower. In that case, if you die here, you will automatically fail," Kyran went on. He immediately saw the woman's complexion pale from what he said, proving his theory.

Without waiting for the woman to comment or recover from her state, Kyran pressed on, "I'm sure you have some speculations about my identity. That's why you intend to threaten me and use your position as a platform master to get answers. Even my action right now may already prove some of your theories. But I assure you, knowing my identity will only harm your original self."

"So you admit that whatever theory I have right now is a possibility," the woman spoke. Though she was still feeling nervous, she managed to speak clearly. This only proved that she was someone who would not falter easily, even if there was a dagger pointed at her throat.

"Why not?" Kyran replied with a slight smile.

"And? What are you planning to do now? If you don't want to kill me, and yet I don't want to admit defeat because I still want a definite answer from you, how are you going to convince me?"

Kyran chuckled.

"I don't have to convince you. I'm not the one who is walking on thin ice here. I have no plans on conquering the tower after all."

The woman's brow furrowed. He was right. She might have acted domineering earlier because she had underestimated him. It was not negligence on her part. That was how confident she was with the arrangement she had done to her platform. Apart from this, the mechanism and the sentries were made by craftsmen from different planes she defeated. There was no way anyone would be able to destroy or decipher them that easily.

Well, except him. How he did, was something she wanted to know.

"True, but now I know about you. Whether my speculation is right or not, if I report it—."

Kyran chuckled once again and said, "That threat doesn't work on me. Why do you think I am here right now?"

The woman frowned at his words. Ideas flashed through her mind, each one getting more and more absurd and even frightening.

'Could it be...? No, the Royal Family has not decreed a manhunt... wait. There is, but the manhunt was a different person. Could it be a front? No, we're talking about a person who's far more dangerous than Gray. Or is the Royal Family protecting him?'

Even as the thought crossed her mind, she rejected it at once.

'Impossible. He is inside the tower meaning the Tower allowed him to find it and enter. That means he is not one of the Royal Family's pawns. Could it be the Royal Army is... and the rumor about the Grand Marshal's plans....' Her frown deepened as she remembered a recent rumor that the Grand Marshal had planned on usurping the Emperor by getting in the good graces of the Crown Princess. There were even rumors that he had been accumulating wealth and preparing his forces that could easily trample or overpower the other Deputy Marshal into submission.

'If that is true, then the Aureole will be...'

The woman tightly clenched her fist. She suddenly thought of a crazy idea, and her next move would determine whether it would succeed. It would also determine the future of the whole Aureole.

After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath and said, "You have worn a mask because you recognized who I am, or at least, the symbol from the tower's flag."

Kyran remained silent.

She took his silence as an affirmation and continued, "Then you should know that we are not in league with the Royal Family. As for the Royal Army, we are not afraid of them."

Kyran still did not reply.

"I will introduce myself formally. I am Olivia, Deputy Head of the Aureole faction," the woman, Olivia unhesitantly revealed who she was.