Legacy of the Dark Sage

Initially, Lev wanted to buy time for himself by giving Kyran a random answer to his question. But thinking this guy could actually communicate with Ignis, could it really be he was the real deal?

Those purple discs were different from the magic arrays Kyran usually summoned when using his magic.

No, wait.

More importantly, those discs… were they even magic arrays? If not… Did it mean Kyran just summoned his magic without magic arrays? How about that time  when he spoke in his head… that was telepathy right?

This…

Cold sweat trickled down Lev's back as he finally realized the situation he was in.

Why did he even think that he could buy time for himself? Judging by Kyran's grip, it was enough to actually squeeze the life out of him if he wanted!

All these thoughts seemed a lot to ponder, but it only flashed in an instant in Lev's head.

​ "I want to know who you really are," Lev choked out his answer.

Kyran raised his brows upon hearing Lev's answer. He sensed the latter's honesty when he answered, thus, he did not doubt him. But he admitted to being slightly surprised.

It should not have been the case, because the 'Spirit' who spoke to him at the cottage, was related to the Montgomeray, and she called him the Void Master. Their family elders might have mentioned something to Lev regarding Kyran's identity but felt skeptical. Thus, the former's decision of wanting to know his real identity.

This was also not an isolated case among the Montgomeray members because according to Dante, there was someone from the Team Competition who asked about him.

"Why? Who do you think I was?" Kyran asked, digging for more information.

Lev hesitated for a second, before answering, "The son of the Spirit Child."

Kyran furrowed his brows.

"Spirit Child?"

[He meant the child who gave birth to you, Void Master.]

A deep hollow voice responded in Kyran's head.

Kyran recognized the owner of the voice; Ignis.  He lifted his gaze to look at him.

When he made eye contact with Ignis earlier, they had spoken to each other.

To be precise, Ignis called Kyran and he responded by making eye contact. After confirming he really knew who he was, Kyran formulated a strategy based on this fact to deal with Lev while ensuring his real identity was not exposed.

"… child who gave birth... my mother?"

Kyran felt a little strange to hear someone call his mother 'child.' But then again, to the Spirits whose lifespan amounted to hundreds of years, she was indeed a 'child.'

"Wha—?" Lev made a pathetic yelp as his eyes widen in disbelief. Then he looked at Ignis, before turning his attention back to Kyran.

The other Spirits kept addressing 'Tyr' Void Master, whenever his name came up in discussions, so Lev was not surprised when Ignis called him that.

What was surprising was the fact that Kyran acknowledged Ignis's address and inadvertently admitted it by calling the Spirit Child his mother.

Did it mean, 'Tyr' was really the new Void Master?

But... no! It was too soon to judge. Or maybe not. After all, Kyran managed to command Ignis to defy Lev... or not!

"Y-You! Did you really respond to Ignis when it called you Void Master?" Lev blurted.

Kyran looked at him, his frown deepening. Using his other hand, he knocked the back of Lev's head with his knuckles.

"Ow!"

"Don't call Ignis, it. You clearly know his gender."

[It is fine, Void Master. We Spirits are used to being addressed by the Dinaeri's as such.]

Kyran looked at him and growled,  "It's not fine."

He sighed and suddenly let go of Lev.

"Wha—?"

Lev yelped yet again as he fell, his butt hitting the hard asphalt with a loud thud.

"Ack! Oi, that hurt!" He complained as he turned and glared at Kyran.

But then, he froze and shuddered in fright when his eyes met two cold eyes staring back at him.

"You're actually from the Dinaeri Family, huh?"

Kyran spoke, in a voice so cold it sent shivers up Lev's spine.

"Let me guess, those who have Spirits are the Dinaeri Family posing as a Montgomeray. And because you all wore masks, it is impossible to really see the difference."

Something within Lev snapped, after hearing Kyran's theory.

What Kyran had guessed was not really wrong.

All Montgomeray members who had Spirit contracts were indeed part Dinaeri.

The key word there was 'part.'

They were mostly sons or daughters born between a Dinaeri and a Montgomeray but were not recognized legally. Because the elders of the Dinaeri Family only saw the Montgomeray as their 'slaves.' This was one of the main reasons up till now, there were conflicts within the Montgormeray family.

Lev swallowed down the angry retort he wanted to say, and instead replied, "I am a Montgomeray.… yes, I suppose the right term is, half-Montgormeray because my mother is a Dinaeri."

Seeing the loathing reflected in Lev's eyes, Kyran guessed there were internal conflicts within the Montgomeray and the Dinaeri just like most noble families.  But he was not interested in that, so he simply shrugged and said, "Fine. And? How do your family know about me?"

"A few days ago, the Spirits told us about you," Lev replied evasively.

Kyran looked at him with a blank expression, Lev's evasive answer was too obvious. And because Kyran was not in the mood to play games with this kid, he turned to Ignis again.

"How does the Montgomeray know about me?"

"Oi—!"

He could not believe Kyran would turn to Ignis for the answer.

[A few days ago, a messenger from Snow Mountain arrived at the Montgomeray Residence...]

"— don't ignore me—! Wha—? Why are you answering him—?"

[…and he possessed the Snow Mountain King's token.]

'No way…' Kyran did not need to hear the rest to understand the full gist of the situation. Not to mention, the identity of the messenger possessing the Snow Mountain King's token.

There was only one person who knew about him, who went to the northern part of the empire in order to have an audience with the Snow Mountain Spirit King.

Silas!

"Where is he?" Kyran asked.

He did not ask for the messenger's name. Ignis might be willing to answer his questions but he could not tell if the latter made a secret pact or something not to disclose the name of the messenger as a safety measure.

"I said don't ignore me—!"

Lev abruptly stopped when Kyran shot him with a piercing look.

There was something about Kyran's 'aquamarine' eyes that gave Lev the impression of looking into something he was not supposed to look at. It filled his heart with inexplicable fear.

"Uhm…"

"Where is he?" Kyran repeated, his voice turning cold once more.

This time he addressed his question to both Ignis and Lev.

Lev's throat went dry in an instant.

How come when he was talking to Kyran, his voice was cold? Yet when he talked to Ignis it was not?

"H-He is here. Among the audience."

Kyran scowled at Lev's answer. He did not sense Silas's presence in the audience.

[He carries the Montgomeray Patriarch's token which camouflages his appearance and presence.]

Ignis explained.

Kyran looked at him with a thoughtful expression.

His magic sense achieved the highest level possible, but that did not mean he could detect hoaxes and magic traps in the surroundings. Factors that formed these played a big role as to the reason, especially if such a hoax or trap was due to a saint-grade magic item or a relic.

Nevertheless, it was not entirely impossible to detect them.  Kyran only needed more time, than normal, to analyze everything his magic sense could 'see.'

Besides, Kyran had not used the full capability of his magic sense in the open while disguised as Tyr. During the time when he detected the Crown Princess mingling with the Montgomeray Family, he only sensed her because of her magic presence.

Soul magic was special, and since Kyran was familiar with it. he did not need his magic sense to confirm she was watching nearby.

'This…?' Lev was suddenly rendered speechless when a rare genuine smile appeared on Kyran's face. It was as if knowing the messenger was near was equal to hearing a piece of good news from a very dear friend.

'Good, he succeeded in making contact with the Snow Mountain King,' Kyran thought with a smile.

"S-So you really are…?" Lev's unbelieving utterance made Kyran look at him again.

'Well now…' Kyran thought, suddenly feeling a little uneasy at their current situation.

If the messenger the Snow Mountain King sent was indeed Silas, Kyran was positive the latter would not tell the Montgomeray Family about him being a Regis.

'Though the Montgomeray Patriarch may already know soemthing if he wanted to make contact with the Regis,' he thought recalling what Head Chief Vaness told him.

In any case, revealing he was the new Void Master while disguised as Tyr would raise too many questions.

Besides, he had been preparing bait to force those 'people' to make a move. He could not afford to make a mistake at this point. After all, he was still unsure of the Montgomeray's stance.

Who knew if they were looking for him and was planning to use him as a bargaining chip? As to what they would bargain for, and who, Kyran had come up with a few theories. But that was all. He had no proof.

There was also a possibility that Lev would be willing to cooperate with him if the Montgomeray Family was on his side.

But....

"Why don't we finish this competition first, then we'll talk more," he finally suggested after a few seconds.