"Four novice 8th ring magus, two intermediate 3rd ring magus, and possibly one intermediate 7th ring magus," Elizabeth abruptly looked at Bairon. "I've hired magi before to help me pass the exam, but without exception, they either chose to quit midway or died in some accident."
"Mr. Stewart, are you afraid?" Elizabeth inquired.
Bairon chuckled and retorted, "Would expressing fear earn me extra pay?"
"Hmm?" Elizabeth let out a nasal sound of confusion.
After a moment, realization dawned on her and she flashed her first smile since entering the room. "If you perform impressively during the exam, I might consider hiring you as my bodyguard. Of course, strictly as a guard—I have no plans for marriage at the moment."
"I'll think it over when I have the time," Bairon said, touching his nose.
If all went well, he'd become an apprentice Crafting Magus.
And by then, he would be quite strapped for cash.
"Well, I should take my leave," Elizabeth stood up.
Bairon followed suit and escorted her to the door.
As she was about to enter her carriage, Elizabeth turned back, "The first test the day after tomorrow assesses the stability of a magus's Mindergy. You're... alright with that, aren't you?"
"I believe I should be," Bairon said, his expression easygoing.
His Mindergy Stability had been obtained through a trade for a Legacy Treasure from the Dark Tower. And the Dark Tower was never stingy.
"See you at the exam grounds, then," Elizabeth said as she boarded her carriage.
After watching the carriage fade into the distance, Bairon returned to his study.
He glanced at the wooden box beside his desk before pulling out a hefty tome from the bookshelf— "Röntgen Continent Family Lineage Overview."
Flipping through a few pages, his eyes locked onto a surname— "Howard." The Howard family.
The progenitor of the Howards was born during the twilight years of the Montagne Empire in a small town called Springwater.
For his efforts in quelling an Elf slave rebellion, he was granted the baronetcy of Springwater.
Over the centuries, the Howard lineage continued to grow and strengthen.
By the end of the Borton Dynasty, a man named Taylor Howard had been elevated to one of the Empire's four Dukes, marking the zenith of the Howard family.
With the collapse of the Borton Dynasty and the establishment of the Pangboton Kingdom in the North, the northern Howard lineage vanished.
Meanwhile, in the South, the Provincial Alliance emerged, stripping all nobles of their titles and estates.
"Howard," Bairon murmured, his eyes unfathomably deep.
This "Family Lineage Overview" updated every sixty years, and while it hadn't yet listed Elizabeth Howard, what struck him as odd was that her grandfather—the one who sent the family Legacy Treasure to the White Tower—was also absent from the records.
After a moment's pause, Bairon flipped through more pages and scanned information about the "Phillip family," another of the four Dukes during the Borton Dynasty's closing era.
However, unlike the dwindling Howards, the Phillips still wielded considerable influence in both the splintered North and South.
In the Northern Pangboton Kingdom, they had an earl.
In the Southern Provincial Alliance, Phillip progenies were active in the Citizens Assembly Hall, the White Tower, magus academies, and even the military.
Rubbing his forehead, Bairon sighed. Ever since he began to suffer headaches from frequent shuttling to the Dark Tower realm, he'd picked up the habit of massaging his brow.
Seeing as it was not a detrimental habit, he never bothered to break it.
Returning the book to its shelf, Bairon walked to his desk, preparing to open the wooden box.
Just then, the sound of the door creaking open reverberated, accompanied by the footsteps of two figures entering the room.
Glancing out of his window, Bairon noticed the golden sunset casting its glow upon the glass.
"Oh, you're home?" Seasoft bypassed the living room and, upon finding the study door ajar, stepped in.
To his surprise, he found Bairon at home. Their new residence, like their old one in Sailport, was a two-story building.
Bairon had simply transferred his Sailport living arrangements here: his bedroom and study were on the first floor, while the second floor was designated for Evelyn.
Now, it also accommodated Seasoft, albeit thankfully, with an extra guest room.
"Yes, I came home early today," Bairon nodded.
Seasoft and Evelyn exchanged odd glances, prompting Bairon to explain hastily, "Don't get any weird ideas. Miss Howard has no intention of getting married."
As soon as he spoke, Bairon regretted his words.
"So, you were rejected again?" Seasoft said, full of sympathy.
With a stern face, Bairon retorted, "I told you not to jump to conclusions. She just visited, and we discussed the details for the day-after-tomorrow's exam, as well as openly shared our attitudes."
"Ahh, that makes sense," Seasoft suddenly realized. "She had asked for our address."
A twitch flickered at the corner of Bairon's mouth.
"Brother, we've bought some baked apples and onion cakes. Would you like some?" Evelyn tenderly asked, though her tenderness felt more like consolation.
With a resigned expression, Bairon replied, "Thank you. Bring me a few."
Seasoft gloated, "Evelyn and I bought them with the money we earned today!"
Accepting the onion cake that Evelyn handed him, Bairon took a bite—it tasted good.
Nodding appreciatively, he asked, "Busking on the streets is that lucrative? I thought San Sorus had its fair share of minstrels and circuses."
Seasoft's eyes widened. "How did you know we were performing on the streets?"
"If you can freely share our home address, others can naturally tell me about you playing a flute on the corner," Bairon replied.
Seasoft had kept his job a secret, but Bairon decided to lay it bare. It would be a lesson in discretion for Seasoft, to deter him from revealing directions to strangers next time.
"She's quite cunning," Seasoft commented.
"Indeed, she is adept at hiding her true thoughts," Bairon nodded, agreeing with Seasoft's assessment.
A young woman who had participated in the magus academy exams since the age of seven, facing defeats but never surrendering, was not one of a gentle disposition.
Bairon sensed that she still had some cards up her sleeve.
However, he had no interest in delving deeper.
Everyone had secrets, and Bairon's Dark Tower ring was the greatest among them.
"What's in that box?" Seasoft pointed to the wooden box on the table.
Bairon moved it closer to him and said, "It's an artifact from a Greyscale survivor; it contains some clues for curing Greyscale."
"Open it. Let's see," Seasoft urged, and Evelyn nodded in agreement.
With a creak, Bairon opened the wooden box.
Silence swept over the study.
The box was small, and its contents even smaller.
The object was about the size of Bairon's palm, resembling a seashell, yet pitch black.
"What is this?" Seasoft asked, bewildered.
Bairon held it in his hands, giving it a gentle squeeze, his pupils narrowing. "Evelyn, could you fetch the 'Röntgen Continent Ancient Race Genealogy' for me?" he softly requested.
It was another heavy tome, thus placed at the bottom of the bookshelf.
Evelyn crouched down to drag it out and brought it to the desk.
"Thank you," Bairon said, placing the dark 'shell' back into the wooden box.
He then opened the 'Race Genealogy' and started leafing through its pages.
Seasoft seized the opportunity to lift the 'shell', raising it above his head for a better look, before carrying it towards the window.
The golden sunset rays fell upon it.
Nothing happened.
It wasn't even translucent.
Then, almost as if guided by some arcane instinct, Seasoft brought the 'shell' close to his nose and took a whiff.
"Ugh!" A vile stench assaulted his senses. Seasoft turned and dashed into the bathroom.
Minutes later, she reemerged with a face twisted in discomfort, pointing accusingly at the 'shell' she'd tossed back onto the desk. "That thing reeks!"
"Of course, it does. Have you ever encountered a dragon scale from a subdragon that didn't stink?" Bairon said, his expression grave.
"That's a dragon scale?" Seasoft's eyes widened in disbelief.
"At least that's what this book suggests, though the author's tone doesn't seem entirely confident," Bairon placed the open book on the desk and fell into contemplation.
Unlike the magus guild, which focused solely on enhancing a magus's power, the magus academy offered a broad range of knowledge.
This 'Röntgen Continent Ancient Race Genealogy' had been penned by one of the academy's teachers.
Bairon thought that when time permitted, he'd pay a visit to the academy's library, which should hold more accurate information.
But the pressing question at hand was, why would Mrs. Howard's relic be a subdragon's dragon scale?
Subdragons were a subspecies of Dragons, smaller in size, generally less adept at flying, and often exhibiting characteristics of other creatures.
Rumors suggested that, like certain Spellbeasts, they were the offspring of Dragons mingling with other species.
Due to a higher concentration of dragon blood, however, they manifested a more dragon-like appearance.
"Could it be that Mrs. Howard is actually a subdragon?!" Seasoft exclaimed, shocked.
"Subdragons can't shape-shift," Evelyn interjected.