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Buzz—

He wasn\'t sure how long it took, but when Dean Bruce felt solid ground beneath his feet again, he found himself back at the Magic Guild headquarters in Saint Laurent City.

Thanks to the incident where he had disciplined the vice president\'s grandson, Prolo Hawthorne, Dean Bruce had become quite the celebrity. Every staff member greeted him with respectful bows, and even the elders nodded to him with polite recognition.

[Dean, once you\'ve taken care of your matters, could you come see me?]

A voice as soft as a spring breeze echoed suddenly in his mind. Dean Bruce quickly glanced at Hannah Fields, noticing that she seemed unaware of the message. It became clear to him—this was the Guildmaster using a private communication spell to contact him.

Though curious about what the Guildmaster wanted, Dean Bruce had no reason to refuse the request.

After all, the Magic Guild was powerful, and they didn\'t have any deep conflicts with him. Strengthening this alliance could certainly bring more benefits.

Setting aside that thought, Dean Bruce led Hannah Fields straight to the City Lord\'s mansion. Before leaving the Magic Guild, he had a few staff members sent out to deliver messages.

Especially to Cyb Louis.

There were still rewards Dean Bruce intended to collect from him.

It must be said that Hannah\'s status as the City Lord\'s daughter carried immense weight. Before they even reached the mansion, an entire squad of soldiers rushed out to greet them, kneeling in perfect unison to pay their respects to her.

Of course, since Dean Bruce was standing ahead of Hannah, it almost looked as though the soldiers were bowing to him, which secretly gave him a sense of satisfaction.

With such a large escort, security was no longer a concern. It wasn\'t long before Dean Bruce and Hannah Fields reached the City Lord\'s mansion.

Dismounting from Firebolt, Dean Bruce still held the girl wrapped in his magical robe, while the servants took the horse away. Together with Hannah, they made their way into the courtyard.

"Father!"

The moment they entered, Hannah gasped in excitement. She quickly dashed toward a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe, leaping into his arms with joyful abandon.

The man, stern and dignified in appearance, spoke in a cold voice, "You still consider me your father? Then why did you run away from your arranged marriage?"

"Father! I know I was wrong!"

Hannah Fields looked up, putting on a pitiful expression. In an instant, the sternness and dignity on the man\'s face began to soften. However, with Dean Bruce present, he restrained himself from showing any overly doting affection.

Taking a deep breath, the man lifted his gaze toward Dean Bruce and said, "Young man, thank you for bringing my daughter back. To have convinced her to return, you must have done much. If there is anything you want, just name it."

"I, Ayn Fields, am not someone who fails to repay a favor."

If Dean Bruce hadn\'t taken Hannah as his disciple, he would have gladly accepted Ayn Fields\' reward. But now that Hannah was his student, it wouldn\'t be appropriate to take such a gift.

Of course, if Ayn Fields was shrewd, he might consider including the reward as part of the apprenticeship gift.

With that in mind, Dean Bruce smiled and nodded, "Hannah is my disciple. It was my duty to bring her back safely. How could I ask for a reward for such a task?"

At those words, Ayn Fields\' eyes widened in shock. He turned to Hannah, and after seeing her confirm the statement with a nod, he suppressed his surprise and said in a steady tone, "I didn\'t realize my daughter had taken you as her master, sir. It seems I\'ve been rather remiss in my hospitality. Men, prepare a grand banquet!"

"Tonight, I shall drink heartily with this esteemed gentleman!"

Though he said this, Ayn Fields was still filled with curiosity. He couldn\'t quite grasp why Hannah would choose to apprentice under an elder of the Magic Guild.

Even if the elder held an honorary title, it didn\'t seem as prestigious as her role as the saintess of the Church of Light.

"That won\'t be necessary," Dean Bruce replied promptly. "Now that Hannah has returned safely, I have my own affairs to attend to."

Turning toward Hannah, he offered her words of encouragement, "Keep going, Hannah. If you follow the plan, you\'ll succeed."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, teacher! Oh, and how can I find you again? I haven\'t had the chance to give you my formal apprenticeship gift yet!"

Hannah added eagerly.

"Just focus on your training," Dean Bruce replied. "Once you\'ve mastered the Fountain of Life, I\'ll seek you out and teach you new magic."

"As for the apprenticeship gift, there\'s no rush. We\'ll let fate decide."

With a composed and enigmatic demeanor, Dean Bruce nodded once more toward Ayn Fields and then turned to leave.

Dealing with someone of power requires maintaining an air of mystique.

The more elusive you seem, the harder it is for them to gauge your strength, and in turn, they\'ll be inclined to offer even more valuable gifts.

Of course, Dean Bruce could only pull this off with confidence because he had the system backing him.

Sure enough, after Dean Bruce left, Ayn Fields furrowed his brow, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. "Why did you take him as your master?" he asked.

"He showed me the path for the rest of my life," Hannah Fields said with a note of reverence. "Besides, his power is nothing to scoff at. His aura may seem faint, but he has the strength to take down a Grand Magus in an instant."

"However... even if he didn\'t have that kind of strength, I\'d still apprentice under him for the knowledge he\'s imparted to me."

Ayn Fields was even more astonished by her words.

He knew well that Hannah Fields had always been strong-willed and difficult to sway. For Dean Bruce to have such a profound impact on her mindset was remarkable, if not slightly terrifying.

Moreover, from Ayn\'s perspective, Dean Bruce seemed like just a Grand Magus at best. But the fact that he could display such incredible power meant that Dean Bruce\'s true strength likely surpassed his own. Otherwise, how could he have concealed his aura so effortlessly?

What Ayn Fields didn\'t know was that Dean Bruce was genuinely that powerful.

"If he can disguise his strength even in front of me, there are fewer than ten people across the Nine Provinces capable of such a feat. It seems… he must be a hidden master," Ayn Fields muttered to himself. "I\'ll personally select a few treasures to send to him. As for you… are you still planning to run from the marriage?"

"No."

Hannah shook her head, and just as Ayn Fields exhaled in relief, she added, "I plan to cancel the engagement! What of the Dragonrock Empire? He… isn\'t worthy of me."

"Don\'t worry, Father. This marriage was instigated by the Church of Light. I\'ll make sure the church handles the annulment. Our family won\'t suffer any consequences."

Ayn Fields raised his eyebrows in surprise, responding, "You\'re already thinking about how to manage Saint Laurent City? It seems you\'ve truly changed since your return."

Ayn Fields spoke calmly, "There\'s no issue with breaking off the engagement. Saint Laurent City may be small, but if the Dragonrock Empire dares to make a move, I will wipe out their entire clan before they can destroy our city."

"Father, you\'re so powerful!" Hannah giggled. "So… I want to seize power within the Church of Light. Can you support me?"

Her playful tone was met with a sharp twitch at the corner of Ayn Fields\' mouth, clearly taken aback by her bold request.

Meanwhile, Dean Bruce, riding Firebolt, had already returned to the residence that Cyb Louis had arranged for him, bringing along the injured girl.

Although Dean Bruce hadn\'t been particularly attached to the house, Cyb Louis had gone above and beyond. He had hired servants and maids to keep the place spotless.

they had even been given a portrait of Dean Bruce to ensure they recognized him upon his arrival. As a result, the servants treated Dean Bruce with the utmost respect when he first entered the residence.

This gesture quickly raised Dean Bruce\'s opinion of Cyb Louis.

Before Cyb arrived, Dean Bruce carried the girl inside and laid her gently on a bed.

Sensing her breathing becoming more stable, he chose not to use any more magic, potions, or treasures to heal her wounds. Instead, he simply let her rest and waited quietly for Cyb Louis to show up.

Before long, the sound of footsteps and voices echoed from outside.

Dean Bruce stepped out and saw Cyb Louis standing at the doorway, smiling. "So, how do you like the place? Not bad, right?"

"And honestly, I\'m impressed. I figured if you could gather some useful information, that would\'ve been great. But to my surprise, before we even got any news, you managed to bring the saintess back yourself."

Cyb Louis continued with an air of astonishment, "You\'re a member of our Nine Provinces Alliance, and now the Church of Light owes us a huge favor."

Dean Bruce gestured for Cyb Louis to enter the courtyard. Since there weren\'t many servants, and Dean Bruce trusted his ability to handle any situation, he wasn\'t overly cautious. He said, "I just got lucky. Anyway, I brought back the saintess. What reward do you have for me?"

"Reward?" Cyb Louis paused for a moment, then grinned. "The Secret Realm is about to open. I\'ll make sure you get in."

"Don\'t play games. That was already my reward to begin with," Dean Bruce scoffed. "Surely you\'re not that stingy?"

"It\'s not about being stingy," Cyb Louis sighed. "It\'s just that, in recent years, we\'ve been preparing for something big within the alliance, so resources are stretched thin. But if you prefer, I can compensate you in other ways."

Dean Bruce\'s interest piqued. Something big? The Nine Provinces Alliance was planning something major?