The room was quiet.
Not the empty quiet of wilderness.
But the layered quiet of a city that never truly slept.
Beyond the closed window, the Northwest breathed in measured rhythm—distant carriage wheels, muted conversations drifting between buildings, the faint hum of mana lanterns lining the streets like disciplined stars.
Kel lay upon the narrow inn bed, hands resting lightly over his abdomen, gaze fixed upon the ceiling.
The wood above him was carved simply—no ornamentation, no distraction.
It suited him.
Dark coat folded neatly upon a chair. Gloves placed beside it. Boots aligned perfectly at the foot of the bed.
Order outside.
Order within.
Yet his mind did not rest.
It moved.
Calculated.
Reassembled fragments of memory that did not belong to this world alone.
"…From tomorrow onward," he thought quietly, "I must collect as many allies as I can here."
His eyes did not blink.
The Northwest was not Vanhart.
It was not a territory that could be restored with strategy and economic leverage alone.
Here—
Power was distributed through institutions.
Guilds.
Magic towers.
Political houses.
To move within the Empire's spine, he would need pillars.
And if memory served him correctly—
One such pillar was here.
The strongest mage of the North.
Kel's gaze sharpened faintly.
"In the storyline… he appears later."
His thoughts arranged themselves with careful precision.
The heroes met him during the academy's group mission examination in the capital.
That was during the midterm of their second year.
If he calculated correctly—
That was roughly four years from now.
Four years before destiny formally intersected their paths.
"What was his name…"
The ceiling above blurred slightly as he searched through memories from countless playthroughs.
Then—
Recognition.
"Arna Marlet."
Yes.
Arna Marlet.
One of the Five Strongest Mages of the Auralius Empire.
A name that carried weight even in the game's lore.
A man who rivaled the Sword Saint in mana capacity alone.
Raw power.
Controlled devastation.
But more than that—
Potential.
At this time, Arna would not yet be the legendary figure he would later become.
He would still be young.
Sixteen.
Perhaps seventeen.
Kel closed his eyes briefly.
Recalling the background.
Arna had been an orphan.
No family name.
No noble blood.
Only overwhelming talent.
During a visit to an orphanage, the Master of the Twin Magic Tower had sensed his mana accidentally.
The resonance had been impossible to ignore.
The Master adopted him immediately.
Named him heir.
Designated him successor of the Twin Magic Tower.
The Twin Magic Tower—
One of the major magical institutions of the Northwest.
A center of research and structured magical advancement.
But fate had not been kind.
The Master was assassinated.
When Arna was only fourteen.
Too young.
Too inexperienced.
Yet legally designated as successor.
He inherited not only the tower—
But its enemies.
The higher-ranking mages under the previous master had expected control.
Influence.
Manipulation of a child heir.
But Arna had not yielded.
He demanded honesty.
Integrity.
Loyalty to the original vision.
And so—
They left.
Not quietly.
They fractured the institution.
Took resources.
Students.
Connections.
The Twin Magic Tower declined rapidly.
By the time the heroes encountered Arna in the original timeline—
The tower was at its lowest.
Barely surviving.
And Arna—
Though powerful—
Was burdened.
Kel exhaled softly.
"At this moment… he should still be struggling."
Sixteen or seventeen.
Carrying responsibility meant for a seasoned master.
Trying to uphold his adoptive father's will.
Trying to rebuild.
Alone.
Kel's gaze hardened faintly.
The Northwest was not merely a city.
It was a battlefield of influence.
And Arna Marlet was a king piece not yet recognized by most.
"If I help him now…"
His thoughts sharpened.
"If I intervene four years earlier than the storyline…"
Then Arna would not be a desperate ally gained through shared crisis.
He would be a calculated alliance formed at the root.
Kel turned slightly onto his side, staring toward the window.
Lantern light seeped faintly through the curtains.
"I will help Arna Marlet."
Not charity.
Not sentiment.
Strategy.
He understood Arna's personality well.
Prideful.
Not arrogant.
But deeply principled.
He despised corruption.
He would not accept bribery.
He would not bow to manipulation.
To recruit Arna—
He would need alignment.
Shared direction.
Not dominance.
Kel's lips curved faintly.
"I know how to take him to my side."
Arna valued two things above all.
Magic advancement.
And restoration of the Twin Magic Tower's dignity.
If Kel provided what the higher-ups could not—
Resources.
Protection.
Strategic leverage.
Then Arna would listen.
Kel did not intend to control him.
He intended to empower him.
And in doing so—
Bind him.
Trust forged through action was stronger than contracts.
The ceiling above seemed darker now as night deepened further.
The Northwest skyline beyond the window had quieted slightly, though lanterns still burned.
Kel's thoughts continued flowing.
"Arna is currently weak politically."
Powerful magically.
But isolated.
If enemies within the tower still attempt interference…
If rival towers seek to absorb the Twin Magic Tower…
Then timing is critical.
He tapped his finger lightly against the mattress once.
Measured.
Deliberate.
"Tomorrow."
The word settled firmly in his mind.
He would gather information first.
Locate the tower.
Assess its current state.
Assess Arna's position.
Then decide how to approach.
Directly?
Or indirectly?
Kel considered Arna's age.
Sixteen or seventeen.
Brilliant.
Burdened.
Suspicious of opportunists.
"Yes…"
A faint shadow of a smile appeared.
"Direct honesty may work better."
Not revealing everything.
But revealing enough.
Kel shifted slightly onto his back again.
The wooden beams above remained unchanged.
Unimpressive.
Solid.
He thought of the future.
Four years ahead.
In the original storyline—
Arna met the heroes during a group mission.
He evaluated them.
Tested them.
Only then aligned loosely with them.
But that Arna had already suffered decline.
Already endured betrayal.
If Kel stepped in earlier—
Arna's growth could accelerate.
The Twin Magic Tower might not decline as severely.
Its resources might remain intact.
Influence preserved.
"And when I return to Rosenfeld…"
He allowed the thought to form fully.
"If I have the loyalty of one of the Five Strongest Mages…"
The political balance shifts.
Not loudly.
But fundamentally.
Kel did not seek immediate domination.
He sought structural advantage.
The kind that moved beneath awareness.
The kind that reshaped power without noise.
The Empire valued magic towers.
Especially in the Northwest.
If Arna flourished—
So would Kel's influence here.
He exhaled slowly.
The plan was clear.
Concise.
Actionable.
"Fine."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"I will help Arna Marlet."
Not because destiny required it.
But because he chose it.
Outside, the wind shifted faintly against the building's exterior.
Inside, the quiet deepened.
Kel's breathing slowed.
Even as he approached sleep, his mind did not dissolve into disorder.
It aligned.
Tomorrow—
He would step toward the Twin Magic Tower.
Not as Kel von Rosenfeld.
Not yet.
But as Heral.
A hunter.
A traveler.
A variable not yet accounted for in the Empire's calculations.
And somewhere in this city—
A young mage burdened by inheritance and betrayal remained unaware—
That a hand had already decided to alter his fate.
The night continued its watch.
And beneath a ceiling of unadorned wood—
A new alliance began to take shape in silence.