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“Colin, did you not sleep well last night?”

Vera looked at Colin, who was yawning continuously, with a concerned look, and handed over a freshly roasted leg of venison.

Colin took it gratefully, laughed, and said, “I’m fine. Some pesky mosquitoes woke me up in the middle of the night, and I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“Do you want to take a nap this afternoon?”

“No need, let’s continue on the road after lunch. The sooner we return to the Golden Lion Legion, the sooner we can rest.”

“Alright.” Noticing Colin’s decision, Vera did not insist and casually handed him a few slices of white bread.

Scholar Doan, who was sitting nearby, had an inscrutable look in his eyes since he had noticed some obvious scratches on Colin’s arm as he took the food.

However, he did not ask anything.

Smart people are like that. Even if they notice something wrong, they know better than to ask about things they shouldn’t.

Colin had also noticed Scholar Doan’s gaze, but since the other party had courteously ignored it, he bit into the venison and took the initiative to ask:

“Scholar Doan, what do you think of the Morrison Family?”

Scholar Doan hesitated, then carefully replied: “My Lord, I think the Morrison Family possesses all the qualities that a superior family should have: Loyalty, Humility, Pragmatism!”

Colin chewed on the three characteristics that Scholar Doan had listed, mulling over his thoughts.

Apparently, these three adjectives were not chosen randomly.

Firstly, Loyalty implies that the Morrison Family is deeply connected with the St. Hilde family, leaving them basically no room for betrayal.

Secondly, Humility suggests that the Morrison Family is known for their low-profile dealings, thus they are not widely known in the North Territory.

Lastly, Pragmatism. Now, this is the most interesting evaluation.

Would a pragmatic family insist on marrying daughters of the St. Hilde Family generation after generation, even though they know that the theory of bloodline purification is unfeasible?

Especially since such actions have already subjected the Morrison Family to the “Bloodline Curse.”

Obviously not.

Therefore, the Morrison Family’s obsession with the daughters of the St. Hilde Family certainly has a deeper reason!

Tying this with the horrifying scene he witnessed last night under the Clock Tower of Phoenix Butterfly Fort, Colin suddenly had some hypotheses.

Scholar Doan seemed to have discerned some of Colin’s thoughts, so he advised: “My Lord, I believe, what you should be concerned about now, is not the Morrison Family.”

“Oh? Then which family do you think I should worry about?”

“The Uman Clan.” Scholar Doan stated decisively.

“Uman…” Colin mulled over the name of this familiar old adversary’s family, “And your thoughts are?”

“My Lord, you must’ve also heard the news at Phoenix Butterfly Fort about the burning of Fallen Eagle City. Clearly, the Uman Clan has become the sacrificial pawn, no, more precisely, the sacrifice for the St. Sean Family.

The Count Uman, whose stronghold had been destroyed, will certainly no longer remain loyal to the St. Sean family. His soldiers must also hold deep resentment towards the St. Sean Family who destroyed their homeland. Therefore, this is our opportunity.”

“You want to win over the Uman Clan?” Colin frowned.

He had no wish to see Count Uman standing in the same camp as him. Wouldn’t that mean he won’t be able to avenge his former self?

And Count Uman, that sly old fox, Colin could never trust him to have his back.

Scholar Doan didn’t seem too eager about recruiting the Uman Clan either, and simply said, “I just think we can give it a try. However, I suspect that St. Sean Family must have had countermeasures for Uman Clan. They certainly wouldn’t allow the enemy they just created to instantly turn around and fall into the arms of St. Hilde Family.

So, we should first confirm the situation with Count Uman and his family’s army. If he has not yet been hurt by the St. Sean family, then we indeed could try to win them over and take the opportunity to weaken the St. Sean family’s power.”

Colin nodded without saying anything or clearly agreeing to Scholar Doan’s suggestion.

Scholar Doan seemed to have more to say, but suddenly felt a noticeable drop in the surrounding temperature.

Whoosh–

The breeze blew, bringing along a flurry of frosty flurries.

The bonfire in front of them also began to flicker, as if it was about to extinguish the next moment.

“There’s a problem!” Colin immediately stood up, discarding the venison and gripping the handle of the sword at his waist.

“It’s arcane fluctuation!” Vera cried out in alarm, “A mage is casting a spell! And it’s an extremely powerful mage!”

“Be alert! Search around!” Knight Logh immediately shouted. At the same time, he dispatched several cavalry squads, trying to identify the mage who was casting the spell.

The previously clear skies suddenly became overcast in the blink of an eye.

It felt like it was about to rain heavily any moment now.

“He’s in the forest to the west!” Vera suddenly pointed and shouted.

“Quick! Stop him!”

In the sound of galloping horse hooves, a cavalry squad swooped towards the direction Vera pointed.

But before they rooted out the mage who was casting spells in hiding, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

Boom!

What followed was a muffled thunderclap.

Then, against all odds, snow started to fall.

Is that all?

Colin and his men, initially braced for a fight, immediately found themselves dumbfounded.

Given the opponent’s stance, they had expected some terrifying spell. They never imagined that it would simply snow.

Of course, creating a snowfall during early summer was somewhat a feat in itself…

By this time, the cavalry who had ridden out had found the mage and immediately escorted him to Colin.

“Mr. Cusius? How are you the one?” Vera exclaimed in surprise when she saw who it was.

No wonder she had felt an extremely familiar presence just before. It was her teacher who had been casting the spell.

“Haha, Miss Vera, Viscount Angler, don’t panic, I was just playing a prank on you,”

Even as the cavalrymen held swords to his back, Cusius maintained a carefree demeanor, even having the wherewithal to joke.

Seeing this unflappable high-ranking mage, Colin had a thought but maintained an welcoming demeanor on the surface, laughing and shaking hands cordially with him:

“Mr. Cusius is it? It is such a privilege to meet you here! Vera has always told me how much she learnt from you at the Yevir Church, and I’ve been hoping for a chance to thank you in person for your kindness towards her.”

“Viscount Sir, you are too kind! I hope my prank earlier didn’t cause too much trouble.”

“Of course not, would you like to join us for dinner?”

“What an honor!”

Without standing on ceremony, Cusius made his way to the bonfire, grabbed a roasted deer leg from the grill and started munching on it.

“Mm! It tastes great!”

Between bites, he even gave a thumbs-up in praise.

“Teacher, why did you come to the North Territory?” Vera handed him a cup of red wine.

After downing the wine, Cusius belched in satisfaction, and casually answered:

“Just traveling and visiting friends in the North Territory, and of course, seeing you, my dear apprentice! It’s been more than a year since you left Yevir, have you been keeping up with your studies? Do you still remember your magic knowledge?”

“Of course I do!” Vera responded immediately, albeit lacking a little confidence.

Cusius saw right through her, and immediately began questioning Vera on her arcane knowledge.

As Colin watched from the side, his guard didn’t lower a bit.

The timing of Mage Cusius’s arrival was too much of a coincidence!

Moreover, according to Vera, this man was a close friend of Mr. Ji from the St. Sean family.

Even the Forbidden Spell that Mr. Ji had used, sacrificing the entire Fallen Eagle City to kill Duke St. Hilde, was suspected to be a modified version of a Forbidden Spell named “Eye of Petrification”, originally collected by Mage Cusius.

Given these circumstances, Colin did not believe that Cusius had no knowledge of what had happened in the Fallen Eagle City.

He was even more skeptical that the mage had suddenly appeared here with no ulterior motive.

Of course, Colin wasn’t going to send him away, given that he was Vera’s teacher.

Furthermore, a mage hidden in the dark was the most fearsome. Someone like him, who voluntarily exposed himself, was far less threatening.