SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS

Kent leaned against the thick trunk of a tree, his sharp gaze fixed on the woman before him. The moonlight filtering through the dense foliage bathed her in an ethereal glow, accentuating the strange mix of exhaustion and determination in her eyes.

"Maybe not now," she murmured, her voice laced with quiet conviction. "But I will definitely go back... I have to."

Kent's eyes narrowed slightly. Something in her tone—something unspoken—made his instincts tingle. He studied her carefully, his mind racing through the implications of her words.

"Go back where?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

She met his gaze, unwavering. "To Kulu Nation."

Kent remained silent for a moment, letting the words settle between them. There was more to this than she was admitting, but he decided not to press—at least, not yet. Instead, he shifted the conversation.

"Do you have family waiting for you there?"

Her expression hardened, though a flicker of something—pain?—crossed her face. "No. Except for the dark mage who raised me, I don't have a family."

Kent tapped his fingers against his knee. "And friends?"

She tilted her head, considering. "The garden pets in my home," she said after a pause. "They were my friends."

Kent lifted an eyebrow. "Garden pets?"

"They listened," she said simply.

He let out a soft chuckle, though his mind was already piecing together the strangeness of her responses. There was an intention behind each answer, yet the pieces didn't quite fit together. It was as if she was giving him glimpses of a story, carefully omitting the parts that mattered most.

"So tell me about Kulu Nation," he said, watching her reaction closely.

She straightened slightly. "It is ruled by powerful cultivators. The royal family controls the highest level of magic and weaponry. Their wealth is unparalleled."

Her words were factual, her tone rehearsed. Kent noticed how she answered without elaboration, almost as if she were reciting something memorized. There was no real flow between her thoughts—just isolated responses, given with deliberate care.

Kent exhaled slowly. She was hiding something.

But the real question was… why?

And more importantly, how dangerous was it?

-

The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting flickering shadows on the ground. Kent observed the woman before him, his expression calm yet his mind racing with thoughts. He had listened to her words carefully, picking apart the inconsistencies. She knew too much about the royal family, the empire, and the academy's affairs, yet claimed to be raised by a dark mage in isolation. That alone was enough for Kent to suspect deception. But the real giveaway was her body—her temperature was far too different from a normal human's.

The lady smirked as she crossed her arms. "Done with me? Now tell me, who are you? What is your name? And what the heck are you doing in the middle of the forest?"

Kent met her gaze, unfazed. Instead of answering, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out the King family sword given to him by his grandfather. The blade gleamed under the faint light, its craftsmanship evident.

"Before I tell you anything, you need to tell me about this," he said, flipping the sword in his palm and presenting it to her. "Can you tell me what rank sword this is?"

She barely spared it a glance before scoffing. "It's a fake Elder Sword."

Kent's brows furrowed in shock. "What?"

The woman chuckled, clearly enjoying his reaction. "Yes… The true Elder Sword has an awakened weapon spirit. The highest-quality Elder weapons even possess beast weapon spirits to guard them, and they bond to their owner. Your sword, however, only has the physical build of an Elder weapon but lacks a weapon spirit. It's a well-made copy, but it's not the real thing."

Kent digested her words carefully. The sword, a legendary-grade weapon back home, was apparently nothing more than a standard blade in Kulu Nation. That revelation alone was enough to make him reconsider his understanding of power rankings. More importantly, her knowledge about the weapon confirmed what he suspected—she was no ordinary runaway. She had knowledge that only someone from an elite circle would have.

His lips curled into a subtle smirk, though he quickly masked it. If she was playing games, he would play along—but on his terms.

Casually, Kent retrieved the sword from her hands, not allowing his inner thoughts to show on his face. She didn't react, too confident that she had the upper hand in their conversation.

But Kent had already made his move.

In a split second, he stepped forward, moving with precise speed. Before she could react, he swiftly looped a rope around her ankles and tossed the other end over a thick tree branch above them. With a single flick of his wrist, he yanked the rope, hoisting her upside down in the air.

"What the—?!" she gasped as her body lifted from the ground, her long hair cascading downward.

The woman instinctively reached for her belt, likely to draw a hidden weapon, but Kent was faster. He tapped her forehead with his fingers, sending a small jolt of energy into her body.

A sharp cry of pain left her lips as her limbs spasmed for a brief second. Kent had targeted her nerve points precisely—enough to disable her temporarily but not enough to seriously harm her.

She glared at him, struggling to regain control of her body. "You…! Let me down this instant!"

Kent leaned against the tree trunk, arms crossed. "Not until you stop lying and tell me who you really are."

She gritted her teeth, writhing in the air. "You bastard! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?!"

Kent shrugged. "A woman who knows too much but says too little. A woman who claims to have no ties to the royal family yet speaks like an insider. A woman who isn't entirely human." He narrowed his eyes. "Did I miss anything?"

Her expression faltered for just a moment. A second too long.

Kent caught it immediately. "Ah. So I was right."

The woman clenched her fists, her claws extending slightly. "Do you always resort to such barbaric tactics?"

"Only when the situation calls for it," Kent replied smoothly. "And right now, I'd say the situation demands a little… persuasion."

She let out a sharp breath, clearly irritated. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Everything." Kent's voice turned cold. "Who are you? Who's after you? And why are they willing to die just to capture you?"

She hesitated, her crimson eyes flickering with something unreadable. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Kent smirked. "Try me."

For a long moment, they stared at each other, the tension thick between them. The forest was silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant calls of nocturnal creatures.

Finally, she sighed. "Alright… But let me down first."

Kent chuckled. "Nice try. Start talking, then I'll think about it."

She muttered a curse under her breath but realized she had no choice. "Fine... My name is Joli… I am a human servant under…"

A sudden shift in the air cut her off.