He should have questioned the man's origins.
He should have verified his identity.
He should have reported to the Magic Net Administration Bureau that a Third-Level Wizard had entered the territory.
He should have done it, even in secret.
But he had done nothing.
Not a single thing, not even in private.
He had just accepted it all as a matter of course.
As if something had clouded his perception.
A cold sweat instantly broke out on Rodrick's brow.
He stood rooted to the spot, motionless, but his gaze grew impossibly complex.
Fear. Confusion.
And a sliver of irrepressible anger.
He didn't doubt Murphy's power.
Elementalization could not be faked.
To be completely immune to his lightning Magic... that was a status only a Third-Level Wizard could possess.
And yet...
The man had no common knowledge.
He understood nothing.
He had even used some inexplicable power to cloud Rodrick's perception.
All of it pointed to one thing: Murphy was not one of the Imperial People.
