The night was deep, and the three Mages had already left Caleb's manor.
At this time, Caleb dismissed the servants and went to the door of another building in the manor. He pushed the door open and walked down.
He gently closed the door behind him, then turned to look at the intruders he had tied up here.
There were five intruders in total. After Caleb confirmed their identities, he also brought over an individual who had been caught by the Guards at the city gate and bound them all together here.
The intruders were all tied to wooden racks. Although their infiltration training included instructions on how to untie such knots, and the rope work appeared somewhat crude,
they simply could not break free. This was because the ropes on them had special magical effects, leaving them with no strength to untie themselves while under such restraint.
"Spies from the Kingdom of Karai, why would you come to our Magic Alliance?"
With a slight wave of his hands, he loosened the restraints of one of the spies, and Braden could be heard gasping for air.
Braden forced his head up, squeezed out a strained smile, and looked at the Mage.
As spies, they had truly underestimated the methods of these Mages, resulting in the entire team being captured directly by this Mage.
"I am the captain... if there is anything... ask me."
Braden spoke weakly. Some of the rope's magical effect remained, and he could only manage simple, low-effort movements.
He knew they were finished here, with the entire team bound by this Mage.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind as he tried to discern which information in his head could be shared and which could not... but then he felt a bit dejected. Even with his extensive training, it likely wouldn't withstand a single Spell that could make him open his mouth and spill everything, whether it was meant to be shared or not.
Before coming, he hadn't thought much of it, thinking those Mages were just Lords who were slightly more powerful and would be thoroughly exposed by their superb spying techniques.
But remembering that strange door made his scalp tingle. He truly couldn't fathom why, as long as that door was opened, anyone standing there would instantly faint.
Whether they used a stick to open the door from a distance or used an unconscious companion to open it, they would all be affected by the trap on that door.
This was a realm beyond the reach of spies—the magical traps of those Mages.
Caleb looked at him with amusement, staring intently into his eyes, and said in a low voice:
"I heard you want to steal the Territory Token I worked so hard to obtain. Well, do you still want it?"
Braden's heart skipped a beat. He froze for a moment, forgetting how to respond.
He hadn't expected his objective to be exposed like this. Why?
The captured Kate only knew they were looking for a strange object and didn't even know what it looked like, and he himself hadn't brought the paper recording the information.
Why did the Mage in front of him know their goal instantly?
As if answering Braden's question, Caleb said to himself:
"Isn't it easy to guess?"
"A group of Kingdom spies naturally wouldn't be here to steal my magical materials, and those precious pieces of jewelry couldn't possibly be your target either."
"Excluding those, there's only that item I obtained a few days ago. I wasn't even clear on what that thing was at first."
"But your actions gave me a clue. I finally tested the essence of that object using relevant testing materials."
"A Territory Token. Just by holding it, one gains a claim to that land, and after truly occupying it, one becomes a Lord."
Caleb then turned around, not looking at Braden, but taking a ring from his robe and putting it directly on his hand.
Then he turned back and continued to Braden:
"This item is useful to those Lords, and very useful to Duke Theodore, who is launching a rebellion in Antire, but for me..."
"This thing seems only useful for researching several characteristics of items with slight indestructible properties. It's completely useless."
"Because I don't have those noble surnames or the glorious bloodlines of those Lords. Those people won't acknowledge a Mage ruling that land."
"Am I right? Simply put, without the bloodline, one cannot truly occupy that land."
Braden was somewhat confused at this point. These words might not seem out of place if spoken by a Rank 1 Professional who couldn't obtain a territory because they lacked the bloodline.
Those people had long been unhappy that the Knight lords could inherit territories and supernatural powers despite having no talent, just because of some bullshit surname.
But what are you, a Mage, complaining about? Didn't he remember that Mages were all people who believed knowledge is power?
"Mages once conducted experiments and found that this bloodline is truly a bloodline in an objective sense. Even if you disguise yourself as a family member and gain the trust of others, you cannot gain the recognition of the territory."
"It seems there are only two ways to obtain a territory: serve as a subordinate under those Knights and be granted a Knight title when they are in a good mood after you've performed great service, or inherit a title from your own family."
"It seems this thing is useless to me."
Caleb looked at Braden with a smile that made his scalp tingle, then Caleb did something that made his pupils dilate in shock.
With a wave of his right hand, he removed all the ropes. Braden landed steadily on the ground, while the other members fell to the floor because they had been bound for too long.
"What do you want to do?" Braden looked at the other party warily, slightly moving his wrists.
"I want to make a deal with your ally, Duke Theodore."
He wore a terrifying expression, as if he wanted to devour something.
"I have already handed that token to a Mage who is heading to the Antire region."
"As long as Duke Theodore helps me eliminate a Mage named Zeno Harper, who is also in the Antire region."
"I will provide the information on the Mage carrying the token after I see his head."
"It wouldn't have to be this troublesome..." He lowered his voice for the last sentence, so that no one else present heard it.
Braden stared at the Mage before him, unable to understand why this Mage would hire someone to kill another Mage.
Aren't you Mages all in the Alliance?
"That, I..." He was about to say that Duke Theodore might find it difficult to act out of consideration for the Alliance, hoping to negotiate more on this deal.
But his words were directly interrupted by Caleb:
"I know Duke Theodore has hired the Blood Wolf Knight Order. Just let them do it. There's no need to bargain with me. If you accept, you can leave. If you don't..."
"Why?" Curtis asked, having barely struggled to his feet from the ground. He was curious why the other party would go to such lengths to kill a Mage and blurted it out without thinking.
"It's nothing, I just want Zeno Harper dead." Unexpectedly, Caleb showed a complex expression as he answered his question.
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