News spreads fast in the capital.
But news involving Kelvin Everlong, the boy personally blessed by Duke Emanuel Williams, the Archmage of the North, the Shield of the Capital, the man feared by nobles and monsters alike…
It didn't spread only, It's detonated.
By the time the first messenger reached the duke's estate, the air around Emanuel was already shimmering with unstable mana. He didn't shout. He didn't ask questions.
He simply stood with hands behind his back while looking out of the window.
And the wind around the duchy began to howl.
A storm gathered above the Williams estate, called not by spell, but by the Duke's emotions alone. Thunder flickered across the sky like veins of anger. Every mage in the duchy felt it: a pressure that made their hearts pound and their mana cores tremble.
A servant approached fearfully.
"My lord… Kelvin Everlong has been attacked."
The sky roared.
Lightning tore opens the clouds, Emanuel didn't blink, He didn't move, But the world around him did.
The marble beneath his feet cracked like a mirror, the trees bent away as if bowing in fear, The storm intensified, spiralling into a giant vortex over the estate.
And then…
"Prepare the battalions."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Every knight present felt a shiver crawl down their spine.
"Battalions…We, my lord?" one captain whispered.
"Yes." Emanuel's eyes burned violet. "Tonight… we uproot whatever filth dared touch my kelvin."
He extended his hand, and a sigil formed in the air, golden, ancient, layered with runes older than the kingdom itself, The entire duchy shuddered as if the world is ending.
Behind the Duke, the Duke Guard assembled instantly.
These were not ordinary knights.
They were the elite personal retinue of Duke Emanuel: The duke Guard 1,200 elite mage knights, each trained in Special magic formation which could even stop dozens of arcane mages for days, Uniform Armor enchanted with barrier matrices, capable of fighting half step rank 1 monsters barehanded…
Loyal only to the Emanual, and leading them were the Duke's Four Special Protectors, known across the kingdom as The Four Pillars of his duchy , each one an Arcane Mage of terrifying capability.
Iris Vellmont, Arcane Blade Saint…Her sword could cut spells in half. One of the few dual‑class Arcane Mage alive In the kingdom...
Ragnor the Silent, Shadow binder, An assassin‑hunter capable of stepping through shadows. Rumored to have killed a Rank 3 monster alone.
Helvius Ward, Barrier Architect…Specialized in defensive, wide‑area spells. Was said to have held a mountain avalanche at bay for three minutes.
And the last..
Mira Drexen, Soulseer, Could peer into the minds of criminals, or rip secrets from corpses.
When they appeared behind Emanuel, kneeling with fists pressed to the floor, the ground trembled from their combined mana.
"My lord," Iris said, "give the order."
"We move at your command," Helvius added.
Emanuel didn't answer.
Not yet.
He raised two fingers, and space cracked open like thin glass. A portal tore itself into existence, swirling white and gold. As if mana obeyed whatever he what it to..
He stepped through, and the world folded like paper.
.......
The courtyard distorted as space warped reality. A vertical ripple appeared, splitting open like the surface of a pond. From it stepped Duke Emanuel Williams, clad in brilliant white Armor, shimmering with runic lines of authority and power.
His cloak billowed like a light behind him.
The servants gasped and immediately knelt, unable to withstand the crushing aura that seeped from him like a second atmosphere.
"When Duke Emanuel is calm," one whispered, trembling, "someone is about to die."
His steps echoed like distant thunder as he entered the manor.
"Where is the child?"
Guards pointed toward the inner chambers.
Emanuel didn't slow.
He opened the bedroom door without touching it, the wood simply moved aside under his mana.
Inside, Kelvin slept beside Michael, holding the old man's frail hand.
Bella stood guard, her face tight, Edward sat nearby, pale, upon seeing him, They bowed deeply.
"Your Grace….." Edward started.
"Stand," the Duke commanded. His voice silenced the room instantly. "Explain."
Bella told the story, the assassin, the artifact, the forbidden spell, Michael's condition.
Emanuel approached Kelvin.
The boy murmured and squeezed Michael's hand.
The Duke knelt, His eyes softened but only for a moment.
Then they hardened into something sharp and lethal.
"What traces were left behind?"
Bella listed the clues, the poison, the method, the timing. And finally:
"Cyrano was accused… but he was framed."
Emanuel closed his eyes, exhaling once.
When he opened them again, his gaze was cold enough to freeze oceans.
"I see."
He touched Michael's chest. A soft white glow poured into the, now, old man's body, stabilizing the fading threads of his life.
"Michael," he whispered, "you've served this house with honor. Rest now. I will answer this insult."
Michael's breathing eased.
Bella clenched her fists. "Please, Your Grace, I want to hunt them too."
"And you will," Emanuel said, "but not alone."
He raised his hand.
A Rank 3 spell circle appeared behind him…vast, multi‑layered, rotating like celestial construct. Its glow tinted the manor with starlight.
Every mage in the capital felt it.
A wide‑area detection spell…
light of judgement : VEILBREAKER
…rang silent but absolute like a bell across the city.
For a brief moment, the capital saw through every illusion, every stealth spell, every barrier, and every hidden mana signature below rank 3...
People dropped to their knees from the pressure, Windows cracked, Mana wells flickered, Edward's voice caught. "Your Grace….this spell… it covers the entire capital!"
"Yes." Emanuel's eyes glowed brighter. "Whoever touched my kel is hiding in my city. And I'll drag them out by the throat."
Kelvin shifted in his sleep.
"When he wakes," Emanuel said quietly, "tell him this…"
He looked at the boy with an heart ache..
"Grandpa Emanuel will not rest until the one who dared touch him is are destroyed…."
He drew a sigil in the air, while disappearing he commented…
"I will return soon," he said.
Space folded around him, swallowing him whole.