"I regret it has come to this, Lord Wyvern," the young Hydral sighed softly. "I offered you a chance. I had hoped we could deal with Evora immediately, but you've been consumed by desire and ambition."
Wielding power amidst the sea of feasting flames consumed hundreds or even thousands of times more energy than normal. Otherwise, Ansel would have long since called upon Ravenna to unleash devastation. Why else would he need such intricate calculations?
The Duke of Wyvern's realization was correct—Ansel's initial plan was to lure him, or more precisely, to entice whichever Duke had been influenced by fate to harbor hostility towards him, into attempting an assassination. Ansel couldn't know exactly which Duke fate had chosen as its pawn, though he could make an educated guess. But this uncertainty didn't affect his plan.
