Zeke furrowed his brow as he listened to Baron's report.
It was an unexpected update.
Looking at Baron, he asked, "Nirvana has shown suspicious movements. What exactly do you mean by that?"
Baron handed Zeke the file he was holding and explained, "This is a report compiled by the Black Stage after monitoring Nirvana's activities for the past six months. The normally quiet Nirvana side has exhibited unusual movements over the last three months."
Zeke quickly skimmed through the file Baron passed him, using the system to scan the entire contents at once.
He then analyzed the data via the system, focusing on any anomalies in the recent trends.
In the process, Zeke spotted a key word that stood out as the core of the issue.
"Golem."
Zeke opened the file where that word appeared.
He read the details carefully, tapping his knee with his finger.
A moment later, he looked up at Baron and asked, "So, you're saying Nirvana is producing combat golems." Baron nodded.
"In the last three months, we've detected signs that the Nirvana side has been purchasing large quantities of key materials needed for golem cores."
Zeke now understood what Baron meant by Nirvana's suspicious movements.
Nirvana, alongside Draker and Ishtar, was one of the three great transcendent families of the continent.
Draker boasted the strongest knights of any family, while Ishtar possessed deadly assassins versed in secret arts.
Nirvana, as a mage family, consisted of countless wizards—though that wasn't unique; other kingdoms and magic towers operated similarly.
Yet what set Nirvana apart from other mage groups and elevated it to one of the three great transcendent families was its "golem production technology."
Battle mages held the most strategically vital position on the battlefield.
However, for battle mages to fully exert their power, they needed knights to shield them from enemy attacks.
Thus, typical kingdoms and magic towers operated knight orders and mage corps in tandem, supporting each other.
Even in Delphoa, the nation of mages, they maintained a separate knight order for defense—a standard practice.
But Nirvana chose a different path.
They mass-produced golems to replace knights.
Originally, golems weren't very efficient compared to the effort required to create them.
They were too slow and limited in movement for combat, serving merely as moving walls against aura-wielding knights.
As aura training methods advanced and knights grew stronger, golems naturally fell out of use, with the combined knight-mage model becoming the norm.
Nirvana's mages, however, refused to accept this trend.
They refined golem cores repeatedly.
Eventually, they improved efficiency and succeeded in creating cores suitable for mass production.
Nirvana's golems proved their worth three hundred years ago, after the fall of the Holy Empire, when the kingdoms fragmented and an age of warring states began.
The mage-dominated Nirvana family became a target for every kingdom.
Some sought to subjugate it by force.
But without exception, those invaders suffered crushing defeats before they could even set foot properly on Aten soil.
They couldn't breach the defensive line formed by Nirvana's golems and battle mages.
Unlike standard golems, Nirvana's were fast, sturdy, and efficiently designed.
Each body part was modular, allowing quick replacement of damaged sections for immediate reuse.
They had transformed the obsolete golem into an excellent weapon of war.
In that way, Nirvana survived the chaotic era and protected its family.
Three hundred years later, Nirvana's golem technology had advanced even further. Zeke himself recalled seeing automated golems at Nirvana's central branch.
Golems that could judge situations and act independently without mage commands would undoubtedly double their battlefield impact.
That was why Baron had submitted the intelligence report on Nirvana's bulk purchases of golem components.
Looking at Baron, Zeke said, "You think Nirvana is preparing for war." Baron nodded at Zeke's question.
"The circumstances suggest as much."
"It could be for building a defensive line against demonkind raids."
"Of course, that's possible. But we must consider the chance that Nirvana could use its golems to invade other territories on the continent."
Zeke looked at Baron and said, "Baron, just tell me your conclusion." With a somber gaze, Baron met Zeke's eyes and spoke slowly.
"We need to neutralize Nirvana's military power." Zeke furrowed his brow at Baron's words.
"You're suggesting we strike Nirvana preemptively?" Baron shook his head at Zeke's response.
"An overt approach could lead to significant losses on our side. Since golems are Nirvana's core strength, pressuring the factories and suppliers producing key materials would prevent them from creating cores and achieve our goal with minimal direct conflict."
Zeke fell silent, pondering Baron's suggestion.
"This must have been Arthur Draker's way."
Not waging open war, but applying invisible pressure from the shadows to force self-destruction.
That was how Arthur Draker had dominated the Central Continent.
Baron was the perfect blade for Arthur's insidious and meticulous battles.
Now serving Zeke as his lord instead of Arthur, he had come to propose this approach.
Zeke looked up at Baron and asked, "What do you think the former family head would have done, Baron?"
Without hesitation, Baron replied, "He would have immediately ordered me to compile a list of the relevant companies upon reviewing the report."
"...Yes, he probably would have."
Arthur Draker was that kind of man.
Zeke looked at Baron and slowly opened his mouth.
"My father might have, but I won't, Baron. I'll contact the Nirvana side directly, so hold off on any rash actions."
Baron nodded crisply in acknowledgment, his expression unchanging as he said,
"Understood, my lord. Is there anything else you require?"
"There is."
He stared straight at Baron.
"Arthur Draker."
Locking eyes with Baron, Zeke continued.
"I want to know about the former family head. And his relationship with my mother as well."
The connection between Arthur Draker and Laura Agamemnon.
Baron might know what tied those two together.
Zeke heightened his senses to gauge Baron's reaction.
Surprisingly, Baron showed no emotional fluctuation even to Zeke's question.
Even Zeke, with the rank of a transcendent, couldn't read Baron's feelings.
Baron bowed his head directly to Zeke.
"I shall carry out your command, my lord."
"Report back as soon as you gather the information."
Baron nodded, gave a crisp salute, and left the room.
Left alone, Zeke leaned back, staring at the spot where Baron had been.
"Baron Draker. You're just as hard to read as Arthur."
It seemed he'd need to have Boris and Shadia investigate Baron separately.
Pushing aside thoughts of Baron, Zeke turned his mind to Nirvana's golem production.
"Mass-producing golems."
With recent surges in large-scale monster and demon raids, it seemed like a defensive measure against demonkind attacks.
But as Baron said, it was worth checking in advance just in case.
"I'll contact the Nirvana side through Xeros."
*
The next day, Xeros came up to Zeke's office.
He had immediately investigated the golem production as per Zeke's instructions.
With a slightly troubled expression, Xeros said to Zeke, "My lord, from what I learned through my master, it does appear to be preparations against monster raids on the surface."
Zeke caught the subtle nuance in Xeros's response.
"So, in reality, there's something else going on."
Zeke furrowed his brow, wondering if, as Baron suggested, Nirvana was producing combat golems to invade other territories.
But Xeros's answer was entirely unexpected.
"It's that... the family head suddenly returned to the family, claiming he had seen the future, and insisted on producing a thousand golems."
Zeke frowned even more at Xeros's words.
"...Master Jorge has returned, then. But does that make sense? Even as family head, the family doesn't operate that way."
"Yes, I know how it sounds. It would be absurd for another family, but in Nirvana, it's possible."
Nirvana wasn't bound by blood; one joined through qualification exams.
It was a family of eccentric, magic-obsessed oddballs, yet it had endured for centuries because they strictly followed the family head's word.
Zeke recalled his past life's memories.
"Come to think of it, something happened when Nirvana's family head reappeared." He calmly reviewed his past life and remembered one event. "Master Jorge, the family head of Nirvana, achieved the 9th circle." Reaching the 9th circle granted the title of archmage.
Hoshgar had surpassed it to transcendent rank and ascended, but a 9th-circle mage in the phenomenal world was more than enough to stand among the strongest.
"But it's not time for that yet?"
In his past life, Master Jorge reached the 9th circle four years from now.
Perhaps Zeke's regression had altered history, advancing the timeline.
"Nirvana's family head says he's preparing for the future by making a thousand golems."
"The family was shocked, but since it's the family head's decision, they're all complying."
It was unsettling, but the fact that they were going ahead with producing a thousand golems showcased Nirvana's capabilities.
As Zeke pondered this, Xeros leaned in closer and whispered, "My lord, but my master separately asked if there's any way to get more fairy stones."
"They've already used up that much?"
"To mages, fairy stones aren't about quantity. It's just have or have not." Xeros sighed and continued.
"Since fairy stones are essential for golem cores, they've apparently exhausted their stock. I broke out in a cold sweat calming my master down as he ranted." Zeke thought it over and then spoke.
"Xeros, tell Antonio that for this quarter, we'll supply twice the previous amount of fairy stones."
Xeros let out a cheer at Zeke's words.
"But on one condition."
"What condition?"
Zeke's eyes gleamed as he said, "Request that Nirvana sends a representative-level delegate to attend the continental grand council this time." Xeros blinked in surprise, his eyes darting around.
"Th-the council... attendance..."
Nirvana's mages only attended meetings every five years for family head elections.
Busy with their research, they refused to go to any others, even on pain of death.
Zeke smirked at Xeros's distress.
"Leak that the representative from Nirvana will get a free one-year rental of the newly developed ultra-high-density mana analyzer."
The ultra-high-density mana analyzer was a magic experiment device created by combining the efforts of Hades, Feynen, and Gelion.
It had been officially presented at the magic society recently, boasting vastly superior performance and broader experimental capabilities, coveted by all mages.
Offering a free year-long rental of one of the only two such rare devices on the continent was an irresistible lure for any mage.
Xeros's eyes widened in astonishment before he nodded with a resolute expression.
"I'll convince them no matter what it takes."
"Good, Xeros. That's reliable."
And the next day, Zeke received word that Master Jorge, the family head of Nirvana, would attend the continental grand council.