With no money, no home, and no soldiers at her side, Martisa had no choice but to head to Samet's mansion.
Though her pride was wounded by the thought of appearing in such a state, she had little other option.
Looking back, she realized that Samet was the only person she could truly trust.
Jed is the culprit… If I tell Samet, he'll surely have a plan. Just wait a little longer.
It was past 2 AM when she arrived at the mansion.
As she approached, the guards immediately went on high alert.
Martisa felt a flicker of relief at encountering allies.
"It's me. I'm here to see Samet; guide me in."
"...Martisa?"
The guards, shining their magical flashlights on her, were taken aback.
Her hair was disheveled, her face dirty.
While her clothes and accessories were luxurious, her overall appearance resembled that of a beggar.
For some reason, she also seemed to carry an unpleasant odor.
"What happened to you?"
"I don't have time to explain. Just take me in."
"..."
Despite her authoritative tone, the guards hesitated to move.
They exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to do.
As Martisa furrowed her brow in frustration, one guard cautiously spoke up.
"Um… Samet is currently asleep."
"Do you think I don't know that? I came here urgently!"
"I'm sorry, but he doesn't meet anyone while he's sleeping…"
"Ha! Do you think I'm a joke?!"
It was absurd.
Martisa was the head of the hardline elders; it was incomprehensible that Samet would use sleep as an excuse to deny her entry.
"We're just following protocol… Perhaps you could return in the morning?"
"What?! Are you all trying to get yourselves killed?!"
Martisa's temper flared as the guards' disrespectful attitude ignited her pent-up anger.
She tried to summon her mana.
Huh?!
No, she attempted to summon it.
What's going on? Why…?
Something felt off.
She couldn't sense the flow of mana within her body.
No matter how hard she concentrated, there seemed to be no sign of control over it.
"I'll inform him that you're here. Please leave now. I'm sorry."
The guards were oblivious to her true feelings and continued repeating their same line in fear, but Martisa couldn't hear them.
What is this?! Why can't I use my mana…?
If it weren't dark out, her bewildered expression would have been clear for all to see.
Her pupils began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
For a high-ranking sorceress like herself, manipulating mana should have been second nature…
"Hmm?"
At that moment, the guards' eyes widened in surprise.
Someone was approaching from behind Martisa.
Why were there so many visitors at this hour?
They asked with a hint of annoyance in their voices.
"Who goes there? Identify yourself!"
"I am Jed Arahan's seventh successor."
"What?!"
Martisa turned sharply at the mention of Jed's name.
His glowing red eyes shone through the darkness.
Had he come here on his own? Alone at the mansion of a hardline elder?
Amidst her confusion, Jed approached calmly.
Martisa glared at him with fury rising within her.
"How dare you come here after terrorizing me! I'll have your limbs severed!"
"And how do you plan to do that without your mana?"
"What…?"
"You've consumed three bowls of Tufrin's poison; you won't be able to use your mana for two days."
"What do you mean…? Tufrin's poison?!"
Martisa recognized that poison well enough.
The poison from the high-level beast Tufrin disrupted mana flow—like rat poison for sorcerers—but it wasn't easy to get poisoned unless one was foolish enough not to recognize its distinctive odor.
"Stop talking nonsense! I know about that poison…"
"I led you there deliberately to mask its scent. The soup contained strong spices as well. You must have been quite hungry; you ate it all up."
"What?! You mean that guy…?"
"He isn't your benefactor; he's one of my people."
In an instant, Martisa gasped in horror.
After enduring a hellish day, she couldn't accept the fact that she had been played by Jed's design all along.
This can't be happening…! How could he…?
Wasn't he just a mere fifteen-year-old Arahan?
How could someone so young devise such meticulous plans and execute them?
In disbelief, Martisa stood frozen with wide eyes as Jed spoke with an air of superiority.
"You underestimated your opponent and got caught off guard."
"..."
"You won't be seeing Martisa today; step aside."
Jed forcibly pushed Martisa away from him.
A sorceress without mana was worse off than a common thug in the streets.
Leaving Martisa behind without a glance back, Jed addressed the guards.
"I'm here to see Samet."
"...I'm sorry, but Samet is currently—"
"If you don't let me see him now, you will regret it for life."
"...?!"
His tone brimmed with conviction.
There was an inexplicable sense of intimidation emanating from him as well.
As the guards exchanged uncertain looks with one another, Jed chuckled lightly.
"If I'm indeed the true culprit behind this terror incident, I doubt he'll stay asleep for long."
"Y-Yes?!"
"Tell him this: the one who terrorized Martisa has come to see him. If he doesn't meet me now, he'll suffer the same fate."
"A…"
The guards were bewildered but understood one thing clearly: this wasn't something they could decide on their own.
They exchanged glances before one guard hurriedly ran into the mansion.
"We'll contact you shortly; please wait…"
"Is it customary for guests to be left standing outside? I'll wait inside; lead me there."
"..."
"Their actions are sluggish; are they still not grasping the situation?"
"N-No… Follow me."
Jed exuded an air of authority that made it impossible for anyone to refuse him—an aura that demanded compliance.
As one guard swallowed hard and began leading Jed inside, the remaining guards blocked Martisa's path.
"Could you please wait here, Martisa?"
"What?! That brat gets to go inside while I'm stuck out here!? Is this what you call normal circumstances?!"
"It won't do any good for you to act this way; we're just following protocol."
"Shut up! That brat is going in plain view! What? Protocol?!"
"Martisa, please understand our position."
The guards stood firm in their stance.
Knowing she couldn't use mana now rendered any outburst pointless; they had nothing to fear from her anger.
"Aaahhh!"
Just as Martisa was about to scream in frustration and rage, Jed was already inside the mansion sipping tea leisurely.
Samet was an elderly man nearing seventy years old.
Waking him from his slumber was a terrifying ordeal for any servant—a punishment beyond measure.
His sleep schedule was a crucial part of his routine; even a minute's deviation could throw everything off balance.
"What are these pests doing here!"
"I-I'm so sorry! We thought it important enough for you to meet them… We had no choice!"
As expected, Samet erupted into curses as soon as he awoke from his slumber.
His quiet demeanor made his duality known only among close servants and guards who knew him well.
"I'll have them all killed! I'll peel their skin and carve out their bones!"
"S-Save us! We only heard it was very important…"
"Ugh—!"
Swish!
"Cough!"
Samet didn't listen any further.
Mana gathered in his palm and morphed into a spear that swiftly pierced through the throats of those servants before vanishing again into thin air.
Blood sprayed across his meticulously polished floor like flies slipping through cracks—the crimson liquid pooling beneath them filled his chamber with a sickening scent of iron.
Yet even after this display of carnage, his rage seemed unquenched as he thrust his mana spear into yet another unfortunate corpse without hesitation.
"Tch! These damned fools…!"
With that exclamation, he stormed down the stairs angrily.
The room where he'd just left now lay drenched in blood while trembling servants hurriedly began cleaning up the mess left behind.
"...!"
When Samet reached the first floor, he found Jed leisurely sipping tea at a table nearby.
Seeing Jed's calm demeanor only fueled Samet's fury further—a stark contrast against his own chaos unfolding around him.
He suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder; any disruption in routine or mess within his mansion was intolerable for him.
"So you've finally woken up," Jed remarked casually.
Meeting Jed's gaze filled with murderous intent took every ounce of restraint within Samet not to lash out immediately.
He wanted nothing more than to kill this arrogant young Arahan right then and there—but some semblance of reason kept him grounded.
"Hah…"
Samet took a seat across from Jed.
The pristine white marble table paired with white sofas and carpets created an atmosphere reminiscent of an isolated sanitarium—an odd tension hung thick in the air.
Jed broke the silence first.
"I hear you have severe obsessive-compulsive disorder."
"…?!"
Jed raised his teacup shoulder-high before pouring its contents directly onto Samet's pristine carpet.
Samet jumped up in shock.
"What kind of absurdity is this!"
Steam rose from where tea spilled across his immaculate white carpet—dust particles were never tolerated by someone like him.
His servants moved swiftly on tiptoes attempting damage control amidst rising panic.
Just when sanity threatened to slip away entirely again under mounting pressure—Jed spoke firmly.
"I'm making sure Samet understands his position clearly—that even now there's nothing he can do about this."
"How dare you defile my mansion…! Do you think your status will protect you!? Damn Arahan scum!"
"You sleep at set times and eat according to strict routines."
"What did you say?!"
"You follow your schedule religiously before returning again at designated hours—this is what your life has become: making those around you miserable."
"Shut up! What do you know about anything?!"
Swish!
Mana began swirling violently around Samet's body—the aura radiating from him indicated he too belonged among high-ranking sorcerers at Circle Seven level.
The servants fell prostrate before him under immense pressure while Jed merely smiled lightly.
Thud!
"?!"
Jed placed a magic scroll atop their table casually while looking at Samet with feigned curiosity.
"I wonder what kind of expression you'll make if I unleash this black miasma here."
"The black miasma?!"
"That would be what ruined my estate earlier; once unleashed here filthy beasts will crawl all over your mansion."
"...!"
"It contains power far beyond what yours holds—one crafted by high-ranking sorcerers far superior than yourself—it cannot be burned or discarded easily either; it will activate precisely five minutes from now so time is running short."
"What is it that you want from me…?"
"For now, please take a seat."
While threats might not work against most people—this held significant weight over someone like Samet.
It wouldn't take long before rational thought returned amidst chaos swirling around him.
Sitting down politely on the sofa now looking anxious—Samet fidgeted nervously with his fingers.
"Are we ready for conversation?"
"Hurry up and speak then—I only have five minutes…"
Once exposed as anxious—the conversation shifted entirely into Jed's favor.
Jed knew how best to exploit this advantage fully.
Slowly retrieving another scroll from within his robe pocket—he unfurled it methodically before showing it off proudly.
"Hah?!"
"Don't be alarmed; this is merely a contract."
"A c-contract?"
"It states that I will not interfere with your family succession competition."
Samet's eyes widened slowly as realization dawned upon him regarding young Arahan's blatant intentions behind this offer.
"Gather signatures from all elders within your faction—I'll give you one day."