Little Pink Starfish

Even if Finn Rayne had originally planned to act like a bandit, he had no choice now but to keep up a gentlemanly appearance. Smiling, he began, “I understand that the ring is now in your hands, Count. For someone learning magic, that ring doesn’t hold much value. Now that you’ve awakened the Light Seed, divine arts offer you far more potential… but for us at the Mage Association, that ring is incredibly important.”

Eagle also smiled. With his looks, that smile was devastatingly powerful. The four junior mages accompanying them clearly lacked the discipline—not one of them dared look at him. “What ring? I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Pei Sen: “…”

Good job, young master!

Finn Rayne’s smile stiffened slightly, but he patiently continued, “Count, I know that Kesso took the ring, but he later died at your hands—”

“Oh, you mean that traitor Kesso. He ran away at first, then came back and tried to attack me, so he was killed by the steward of Golden Rose Manor at the time—Sword Saint Sadin. I don’t know anything about a ring.”

Pei Sen watched Eagle lie without batting an eye and understood he was simply passing the buck—smartly. After all, Sadin was a Sword Saint now, not someone even the Mage Association would want to offend lightly.

Finn Rayne frowned. He wasn’t entirely sure whether Eagle was telling the truth. After thinking a moment, he said, “It’s a secret-pattern ring from the Burfield family. Kesso probably wasn’t trying to attack you—he wanted to capture you and have you add his name to the secret-pattern…”

That much was easy enough to infer.

Eagle pretended to be intrigued. “A secret-pattern ring from the Burfield family? And how did it end up in Kesso’s hands?”

Even now, with Kesso dead, they had never found out who originally owned the ring. Neither Eagle nor Pei Sen knew why Kesso had it in the first place.

Finn Rayne paused briefly before saying calmly, “Count, perhaps you don’t know this, but the only legendary mage in the Kingdom of Esmia—Mebreck—also bore the surname Burfield.”

Eagle frowned. That, he genuinely hadn’t known.

“Mebreck was the great-grandfather of the late Queen Sophia. His original name wasn’t Mebreck, but Yorick Burfield. He infiltrated the Dark Tower and acquired the remnants of the Spellweaver Order. At the time, there were still surviving members, so he faked his death as Yorick Burfield and assumed the name Mebreck. Everyone believed Yorick had been claimed by the Dark Tower’s dark mark.”

“The following year, Queen Sophia’s father passed away, and surprisingly, the dark mark was passed on to his son… eventually to Queen Sophia, and now to His Majesty Leiser.”

Pei Sen was shocked—he hadn’t known any of this.

The Spellweaver Order… he was familiar with it. In his main account, he had researched them while doing a quest to acquire a certain spell.

The Spellweaver Order had a terrible reputation on the continent of Yari. Compared to them, liches were almost cute and harmless.

The Order had no moral constraints in their magical research. They captured civilians and slaves for experiments, committed mass killings, and promoted the supremacy of mages. They believed all magic—no matter how dark, evil, or necromantic—had value if it made mages stronger.

At its peak, the Order was filled with powerful black mages, many of whom were legendary. They wreaked havoc across the continent until they were finally exterminated.

So Mebreck had acquired the Order’s legacy? No wonder that ring held so many spellbooks.

“We of the Mage Association fought the Spellweaver Order for many years,” Finn Rayne sighed. “The information about the Dark Tower that Mebreck used came from us. Many people think our feud with him began when he refused to support the founding of the Royal Mage Corps, but that’s not true. It was when we learned of Queen Sophia’s curse that we realized Yorick hadn’t died—he had deceived us for years…”

Eagle chuckled. “But he was already a legendary mage. You couldn’t touch him. You couldn’t even demand the Order’s legacy back.”

The mages present all looked slightly irritated but remained silent, because Eagle was absolutely right.

There were very few legendary mages on the continent, and Mebreck had reached the pinnacle. Even the Mage Association couldn’t do anything about him.

“No wonder Mebreck insisted so strongly on putting Leiser on the throne,” Eagle continued. “So it was because of this.”

After all, Leiser carried the bloodline of the Burfield family. Mebreck, no doubt wracked with guilt, had suffered little from the dark mark himself due to his legendary power. But his descendants—his son, Queen Sophia, and Leiser—weren’t so lucky.

His descendants had suffered under the curse, and he must’ve known that Leiser planned to use Eagle to transfer it. That’s likely why he had Kesso deliver the ring to Eagle in advance—as compensation.

As the head of the Royal Mage Corps, Mebreck had accompanied Eagle to the barren Lanno territory and stayed for over seven years.

Unfortunately, Mebreck misjudged Kesso. Kesso hadn’t been a loyal servant.

“Yes, Mebreck formed the Royal Mage Corps for the sake of His Majesty and Princess Carolina,” Finn Rayne said. “He dedicated his life to them. If Mebreck had still been alive when Leiser was assassinated, the king wouldn’t have been injured.”

Pei Sen suddenly understood. No wonder Mebreck had disappeared so completely after Leiser was badly wounded. That likely marked the moment of his death.

“No one probably knows exactly when Mebreck died,” Eagle said calmly. “He might’ve already been dead for years. If not for Leiser’s attempted assassination, no one would have realized.”

As the Royal Mage Corps commander, Mebreck hadn’t appeared publicly in a long time—and powerful mages rarely did.

Finn Rayne nodded. “So, Count, the contents of that ring rightfully belong to the Mage Association. We paid a heavy price to defeat the Spellweaver Order. But in the end, Mebreck stole the spoils… Now we’re willing to offer a price to reclaim it.”

Eagle blinked innocently. “As I said—I know nothing about any ring.”

Finn Rayne’s composure was admirable, but unlike him, Annis and Curse Magpie had already darkened their expressions. The four junior mages also looked displeased.

Clearly, they were certain the ring was with Eagle.

“I know you’ve awakened the Light Seed, Count. And as you’re aware, our Mage Association has a long history… and a somewhat strained relationship with the Church of Light,” Finn Rayne said carefully. He chose the word “strained” after some thought—the truth was, their rivalry was deeply rooted. “We obtained some Light Seed-related research from the Spellweaver Order. Back in the day, the Church of Light and the Order collaborated to discover how to awaken the Light Seed. They nearly succeeded. That’s how some of their data ended up in the Order’s archives.”

Eagle knew—likely even Leiser wanted to learn how to awaken the Light Seed. But only Eagle understood: without Pei Sen taking him to the Mana Crystal Illusion Realm, and without the pure, transmutable energy stored in his body, awakening the seed would’ve been impossible.

He had tried many methods over five years. In the end, he had channeled all of that energy into the seed, finally awakening it.

Whether it was the Mana Crystal Realm itself, or the method he had painstakingly discovered, none of it was something he intended to share.

“You may have noticed, Count,” Finn Rayne continued, “that the Light Seed in your body sometimes becomes unstable—its surging energy causes pain and bloating.”

Pei Sen’s heart clenched. “Young master…”

Eagle shook his head slightly. “Don’t worry. It’s not severe.”

Finn Rayne smiled. “Then we can help you eliminate that risk.”

Eagle looked at him. “Since the Church of Light also studied the Light Seed with the Spellweaver Order, doesn’t that mean they also have a solution?”

Finn Rayne was momentarily speechless—he couldn’t refute that.

“I’ve already awakened the Light Seed. I can wield powerful divine arts. And we all know the Church of Light will sell anything for the right price. I just need to spend a little coin, and I’ll have the method. I don’t need the Mage Association’s help,” Eagle said slowly. “Besides, I really don’t have the ring.”

No matter what the Association thought, he would never admit it outright.

Pei Sen listened to Eagle’s calm words, but he suspected the symptoms weren’t as mild as he claimed—and that Eagle had simply been enduring them in silence.

From Fredris Town to the Frost Maple Domain, Pei Sen hadn’t noticed anything amiss… but perhaps that was because Eagle had grown up so suddenly that he wasn’t as attuned to his condition anymore.

He hadn’t noticed a thing!

Pei Sen’s attention shifted entirely to Eagle now. He vaguely remembered seeing a forum post about the “Little Count not feeling well,” but had ignored it at the time—Eagle had seemed perfectly healthy in person.

Now he frantically opened the forum, trying to search for that post.

But a different thread immediately caught his eye:

“What’s going on in Red Maple City? So many red names showing up. Anyone caught one yet?”
“Tried… and died.”
“That strong?”
“Some mage one-shot my whole team.”
“We’re watching one now. Haven’t attacked yet.”
“They can’t all be that strong, right?”
“No idea.”

Pei Sen had previously issued a long-term quest to catch red-name players in the Frost Maple Domain—leftover spies from the Red Maple family and others. That task had never been canceled, so it made sense that players were now trying to capture the red-names suddenly appearing in Red Maple City.

Wait—Red Maple City, red names, mages?

These keywords together… Pei Sen looked over at Finn Rayne, who was still smiling as he “negotiated.”

“Lord Finn Rayne,” Pei Sen cut in abruptly, interrupting him mid-sentence. All the mages glared at him. “I assumed your visit to discuss the ring was made in goodwill and sincerity. Clearly, that’s not the case.”

Finn Rayne’s eyes narrowed. Annis and Curse Magpie exchanged a look.

“I believe quite a few Mage Association members have already secretly infiltrated Red Maple City,” Pei Sen said, his gentle features turning sharp. “What—do you plan to invade Red Maple Castle?”

Finn Rayne’s heart skipped a beat. He had explicitly ordered the mages to enter the city discreetly, not to be discovered. With the war in the Principality of Barst, the whole region was chaotic, and though Red Maple City was better off, hiding among the refugees shouldn’t have been difficult.

Especially with spells to confuse and obscure people’s perceptions—they should’ve been impossible to detect.

…They had only just arrived today. How could they have been discovered so fast? Impossible!

Eagle stood up, his long legs striding forward. “If the Mage Association has chosen to be my enemy, then there’s nothing more to say.” He looked coldly at Finn Rayne. “Then let’s go to war.”

Without another word, he left the reception room.

The Mage Association was a giant, yes—but it was based in the Southern Continent. Its northern branch was far less feared. Back then, even Mebreck had dared to oppose them single-handedly for that reason.

The Southern Continent’s branch had several legendary mages. The north had only one—an aging, semi-independent hermit, possibly dead. Most of the Association’s momentum in the north relied on Finn Rayne’s management skills.

Pei Sen followed Eagle and cast a final glance back at the stunned mages. They couldn’t understand how they had been discovered—because they didn’t realize that to players, red names were completely exposed and impossible to hide.

Since the young master had declared war—Pei Sen opened his interface and began editing a new quest:

---

“Ding.”

[Invasion of the Mage Association]
After conquering vast territories of the Principality of Barst and expanding Frost Maple’s rule, Red Maple Castle now faces a new enemy. Count Eagle Lanno has returned from the capital with a family heirloom—a ring. The greedy Mage Association seeks to steal it, sending waves of mages to Red Maple City, preparing to invade Red Maple Castle.

[Timed Quest: Guardians of Red Maple Castle]
Count Eagle Lanno has returned, and as his warriors and protectors, the Bix race will fight for him. Repel and destroy the invading mages to receive rich rewards.

Quest Rewards:

• Territory Decree x2
• Guild Chest (contains materials, contributions, medals, and special resources)
• EXP, gold, faction contribution

Note: Guild players will receive bonus EXP and gold for cooperative combat.

---

This quest immediately caused an uproar among players.

Since the war’s end, only seven guilds had obtained territory decrees. They were rare and expensive. Players had no idea if or when more would appear—until now.

And now there was even a Guild Chest, making the quest incredibly appealing.

“Enough talk—I’m the Little Count’s most loyal guardian! Game gods, please let me get a decree!”
“No, I’m the best! Just give me the guild chest—please, let it have rare materials!”
“Mage Association, you’re dead! Everyone, to Red Maple City—charge!”
“All members of Sky Ocean Pavilion, assemble! No absences allowed for our first guild war—anyone who skips gets kicked!”
“Red Maple Guild, rally outside the city—we’re taking this win for the name!”
“Heaven’s Crown, squad up! Time to show our power!”

The players exploded with energy. Pei Sen watched for a while, then closed the forum.

No matter what, only players truly understood what players wanted. A person who had never gamed could never design a great game.

Pei Sen didn’t need to know games—he just needed to understand players.

The first batch of guilds had only received their decrees less than a month ago and were still building their bases. To draw them away from construction and into battle, the rewards had to be more than just XP and money.

Pei Sen was a player. That’s why this quest and its rewards existed.

“Take notes,” he murmured.

Bix Magic Cube, diligently learning—would probably be convinced wholeheartedly.

And soon, the Mage Association would learn firsthand how this “impossible miracle” was accomplished.

They had taken most of the Principality of Barst in just twenty days—

And now, the mages would experience it for themselves.