Pfft!

Laziel spat out another mouthful of wine. The stench of a Dark Mage? Little girl, you *are* a Dark Mage yourself. Isn’t it a bit... unkind to describe yourself that way?

Amused by Bacas Medi’s words, Laziel glanced toward the door. That detestable aura had indeed appeared. Pity the old men forbade them from intervening—they wanted to use this chance to temper Newdali City’s young talents. Fine. Since they’d come, he’d let little Alan handle them.

As for himself? Well, he’d just watch over the guild for Alan.

"Alan," Laziel called out, "walking gold has arrived at your doorstep. Don’t miss this opportunity. Go capture them. The ten thousand gold coins your father owes me? Nearly cleared. I believe in you—you’re the Arcane Academy’s youngest S Rank Mage. Go!"

Alan ruffled his silver hair, stepped out from behind the bar, and stood before Bacas Medi. "Medi, let’s go. If we succeed, I’ll split the bounty with you. Deal?"

Bacas Medi shook her head. "I don’t want the bounty. If I help you capture them, you send that Little Wolf Girl away. How about it?"

Alan fell silent. What grudge could she possibly hold against Emma the Little Wolf Girl? She’d rather give up forty thousand gold coins than keep Emma around. To Alan, Bacas Medi was clearly a spendthrift—if you married her, no fortune would ever be enough.

*Truly wise of me to refuse this engagement.*

Behind the bar, Emma saw Alan’s silence. Mistaking it for agreement to abandon her for gold, her bright eyes glistened with tears. Her fluffy ears drooped low.

*He’s choosing the forty thousand gold coins... and giving up on me...*

"Medi," Alan said firmly, "you’re overthinking it. You have only one option: help me capture the Dark Mages, and I’ll give you forty thousand gold coins. As for your other request? Sorry. I can’t do that."

How could he ever send Emma away? She’d journeyed all the way from the Northern Plateau to the Leo Kingdom. Though she never spoke of the hardships, Alan could imagine them. Refusing marriage was one thing—but abandoning her? Impossible.

Hearing Alan’s words and seeing his expression, Bacas Medi took a deep breath, suppressing her rising temper. "So you *do* like that Little Wolf Girl that much?"

Alan chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Not like. Pity. Now come on—you’re a grown woman. Don’t be so willful."

He took Bacas Medi’s hand and strode toward the guild entrance. "Uncle Laziel, keep an eye on Emma."

Laziel nodded with a grin. This kid was far more reliable than his good-for-nothing father. Though... his fondness for a Little Wolf Girl was rather bold. Once you truly knew them, they transformed. No human could ever tame one. Well—perhaps a god could. But mortals? Forget it.

"Medi," Alan said once outside, "follow their scent. Lead the way." He immediately cast a Light magic spell on himself: *Blessing of the Divine*. It boosted his defense and warded off curses—no room for carelessness against Dark Mages.

Bacas Medi’s mind was elsewhere, fixated on Alan’s warm hand clasping her delicate one.

"Medi! Focus! Where are they?" Alan’s shout snapped her back.

"A-ah! East. Should be close." She pointed. "That white three-story building over there."

"East? The white building?" Alan’s gaze followed her finger—and his face paled. That was Haina’s home. A member of the Cloud Peak Guild. The Dark Mages were targeting *her*.

"Damn you, Dark Mages!"

Whoosh!

A pair of radiant white wings—Angelic Wings—erupted from Alan’s back. He swept Bacas Medi into his arms, transforming into a streak of light that vanished from the spot.

***

East Street. The white three-story house. Haina’s home.

Three uninvited guests now occupied it. Without permission, they’d magically knocked the unsuspecting Haina unconscious. These were the Dark Mages responsible for the murders in Newdali City.

"Wood," said a red-haired man in black robes, grinning at his unconscious victim, "once you drain this girl’s magic and collect her blood, our mission is complete. After the blood sacrifice awakens the Dark Blood God from slumber, we’ll become divine servants—equals to angels."

The Dark Blood God—a legendary general under the Dark Overlord, said to devour the blood of every foe he slew. Truth or myth? No one knew.

"Yes, Orlund," rumbled Wood, a bald brute with bulging eyes and a flat nose. His grin radiated menace. "Once we’re divine servants, I’ll drown Newdali City in blood. Turn it into my personal pool. Let those damned official mages chase *that*."

"Enough chatter. Act now," snapped the third figure, his face shadowed beneath a black hood. *Fools.* Newdali City was sealed. After killing this mage, they’d still need magic to break the barrier and escape.

Swish!

A black dagger and a glass vial materialized in Wood’s hands. They didn’t take blood from the wrist—but the forehead. One stab of that dagger into Haina’s brow, and every drop of her blood would flow into the vial.

As for her magic? When dormant, a mage’s power resided in their mana core—also located in the forehead. Blood first. Then the core.

Wood’s dagger hovered over Haina’s brow. "Farewell, bright little girl."

The blade thrust downward—

—and in the window’s reflection, Wood’s eyes caught a white sun plummeting from the sky.