Chapter 67: Father Daughter Talk

The allure of the high-level sea beast meat made it difficult to leave much food at tonight’s banquet. It wasn’t that the food wasn’t tasty enough, but rather the sheer quantity of meat from the sea beasts was too much. Even professionals with large appetites found it hard to eat too much. The kitchen had prepared enough to fill their stomachs, and the remaining food was still delicious but less substantial. Besides, it was appropriate to leave some room for drinking.

The knights of the First Legion actually had no thoughts of reveling all night. They were aware that they had returned with a mission this time, so even if they enjoyed drinking, they intended to stop after a taste. However, the atmosphere changed when the Duke instructed Charles to inform them that they were all given time off. With this news, they knew that no matter how urgent the Duke’s return had been, it wasn’t a serious matter anymore. It had already been resolved, and there was no need to withhold their time off.

With this knowledge, the atmosphere at the banquet immediately changed. Some raised their glasses, and those around them followed suit, toasting and drinking.

Knowing that her father was not present in the clone, Aresia filled her stomach and left with the Duke’s permission, following her teacher. The Duke’s expression stiffened slightly before he nodded and let them go.

Once they left, Frank, who had been sitting nearby, quickly got up. After all, he wasn’t the main character of tonight’s banquet, and mages and warriors didn’t usually get along well. Instead of wasting time here, he decided to use the opportunity to study the new knowledge he had recently acquired, courtesy of Isis.

As he left, several other mages also left their seats, and soon, only the members of the Gryphon Legion remained in the dining hall.

Vice Legion Commander Malki took Frank’s seat and occupied the space he had vacated with two glasses of wine. He approached the Duke and handed him a glass while saying, “Duke Rogest, was the person sitting next to Aresia really her teacher?”

The banquet was over, and Malki had already gathered some information.

The Duke calmly drank from his glass and nodded. “Yes, it was.”

Although Malki was his right-hand man and someone he trusted completely, the Duke had no intention of revealing Isis’s true identity to anyone.

Since they had already disguised themselves, it was better to keep Isis’s identity as close as possible and not let anyone suspect her.

Malki took a deep breath, as even though he had suspicions, hearing the confirmation made it hard to remain calm. “So, it really was her. Is she from where? I haven’t heard of this name before. Is it an alias?”

Indeed, it was an alias. The Duke calmly replied after taking another sip of his wine. “She is a recluse from overseas, not someone from our mainland.”

This was the excuse Aresia had given him.

They lived in a vast continent, and there were many unexplored areas, especially at sea. Although there were species living in the sea that didn’t often interact with humans, there were still close relations between certain intelligent species on land and those living in the sea. Through the conversations with these species, they learned that the sea was vast and had its own unique characteristics.

There were numerous islands, and some of them were inhabited by intelligent species. However, the conditions on these islands varied, and one of them was said to be the Dragon Island inhabited by the dragon race. Dragon Island was located in a distant sea that was difficult for humans to reach, but the dragons rarely left the island. Therefore, it was rare to encounter them on land.

By the way, due to the reason of being on land, the names given by different races, even among humans, were not consistent. Over time, they stopped using names and simply referred to it as the mainland.

“A recluse from overseas?” Malki’s eyes lit up. “Has she been invited to join the Duke’s territory? With the close relationship between Isis and Aresia, if Aresia is there, perhaps she won’t refuse.”

If it were anyone else who claimed to be a recluse from overseas, they would have been subjected to not just courtesy but also thorough investigation and scrutiny. But when it came to an eighth-level mage, the situation was different. Who would dare to send a spy with such power?

The Duke didn’t care. Regardless of the true identity of this recluse from overseas, if they were willing to join the Holy Lotean Empire, or even join the Duke’s territory, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

After the Duke took a sip of wine, he responded, “Indeed, it doesn’t matter. Isis’s position in the Duke’s territory is already quite legitimate. After all, aren’t her students parents the lords of the territory?”

He had completely recovered from his previous agitation.

Malki looked at the Duke, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about having such a powerful teacher for Aresia? It should be a good thing, shouldn’t it?”

The Duke casually responded, “Yes, it is. It’s just that I’m a little concerned about the reactions from the palace.”

According to Aresia’s plan, Isis’s identity was meant to support her. It was supposed to be kept secret for now, but sooner or later, others would find out. At that time, the emperor would definitely be very interested, and even Antonio might not be able to sit still.

The Duke was worried because he didn’t know the full extent of Aresia’s relationship with Antonio. He was afraid that Aresia might have hidden something and deceived him by pretending to be an eighth-level mage.

Although Antonio had a calm temperament, if he felt deceived, it would be difficult for him to maintain his composure as an elder.

If the Duke had known about Aresia’s intentions earlier, he would never have allowed her to do this. But since Aresia had already accomplished bringing Isis’s identity, and caused a bit of trouble on the square, the Duke didn’t want to stop her anymore.

Malki listened to him and realized that it was indeed troublesome. “This news must have spread by now, and the palace must be very interested in recruiting this lady. I guess they will do anything so that they can have a connection with Isis.”

Although the emperor was quite annoyed because of the beast companion contract, the Duke’s association with such a powerful mage would definitely improve the situation.

This was something that the outsider, couldn’t understand.

Malki continued, “Moreover, your son and daughter, two of them are not yet engaged. When Isis’s identity spreads, I’m afraid the emperor will come to propose a marriage.”

It wasn’t just Aresia that the emperor was interested in, it was probably Amos as well.

The Duke became even more frustrated.

He didn’t want to hear this annoying topic anymore. The Duke raised his glass and clinked it with Malki’s. “Enough, let’s drink.”

Although the Duke was usually indulgent, he chose to avoid this annoying topic. In fact, he had been worried about it for a long time. He couldn’t deny that he had been concerned about it. After all, he wasn’t able to remain sober when he thought about it. When he was at the point of being almost drunk, he left the table and went to rest, asking the others to continue enjoying themselves. After all, they had time off. They could continue eating, drinking, and having fun.

It was already ten o’clock.

Dressed in pajamas, the Duke stood by the window with a cup of tea, looking out over the square from a high point. The sharp vision of an eagle allowed him to clearly see the few people busy on the two incomplete teleportation arrays.

The Duke’s room was on the fifth floor of the castle, and at this height, he had a full view of the two unfinished teleportation arrays. He didn’t understand much about magic, but he couldn’t deny that these arrays were sophisticated and complex.

He took a sip of tea to clear his mind. Looking at the busy people on the teleportation arrays, he couldn’t help but ponder.

Yesterday, Aresia had mentioned that these were teleportation arrays, but he didn’t know the specifics. Now, standing here and looking at these two incomplete teleportation arrays, he felt a sense of unease and curiosity.

These teleportation arrays probably weren’t just for sending messages or transporting objects. If that were the case, Aresia wouldn’t be spending so much time on them. The contents of her notebook were far more interesting and useful than these arrays.

Moreover, these teleportation arrays might not only be attract the attention of the emperor but also draw the attention of the mage association.

The Duke sighed inwardly. He couldn’t deny that Aresia truly needed a powerful supporter. After all, her father, who was not yet at the eighth level, couldn’t fulfill that role.

It was a frustrating realization.

The Duke finished his tea and changed into different clothes before leaving the room.

He wanted to understand the specifics of these two teleportation arrays and then worry about the rest.

Aresia had been waiting for him. “Father.”

The Duke nodded. “Walk with me.”

They strolled through the square and around the gardens on one side of the castle.

The castle’s gardens were vast, with well-maintained greenery and various exotic flowers and plants. The two of them admired the surroundings as they walked.

As they walked, away from others, the Duke spoke. “Are these two magic arrays teleportation arrays?”