Return of The Unrivaled Spear Knight

[It’s been a long time, Anna.]

“Why did father…”

A lovely young man gently waved his hand as Anna settled into her seat.

[Indeed, it’s me.
How’s the Academy? Are you enjoying it?]

“I’m doing well… but how is father able to communicate with me directly?” Anna’s words caught in her throat and her eyes widened.
“Is it… Are there problems with the Empire?”

[Problems with the Empire?] The man in the ball erupted into laughter. [Thran has been irate recently, but I can’t do anything on my own since I’m merely a Master.]

“Ah.” The way the man casually spoke about the most powerful position, short of the Emperor himself, made Anna flush.
“Then why…?”

[Vig beck Steck is dead.]

“What!? The Viscount is dead? Did you hear it from Duke Agnus? Or did he somehow get tangled up in something that—”

[No, that’s not the case.] The man shook his head. [The Duchy is also in turmoil right now.]

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

[The Seven Magicians.]

Anna boggled at the man.
“The Seven Magicians of the Magic Tower did this? What proof do you have?”

[It’s said that the Thunderbolt, Jack Steropes, is on the move.]

Anna was silent for a moment while she absorbed the unexpected information.

“Is the Tower aware of our plans? This is so sudden—they were so arrogant and greedy, so what are they doing now?”

The man nodded. [The Magic Tower runs on money.
They never move their fat asses unless there’s money involved, and that’s exactly why they’re moving now.]

“What do you mean by that?”

[Their movements have nothing to do with our plans.
They were silent since Duke Agnus intervened, and judged us as having nothing to do with them.
But they have one goal… to destroy.] The man paused for a moment, eyes glittering.

[The child you’ve been observing, Joshua von Agnus.
It appears he found what the Tower was protecting.]

“What was it?”

[They were keeping the Origins Stones.
A stone imbued with the power of an attribute; some say that one was found in the fertile lands of Thran as well.]

Anna hesitated.
“…Wouldn’t it be huge if he obtained such a powerful object from the Magic Tower? It’s best we seize it from Joshua von Agnus—”

[No.
It’s a waste of power.] The man shook his head firmly. [After all, it’s not like anyone except the Magic Tower could ever use the power of the Stone.
Our bloodline, on the other hand, would be immediately wiped out if we were discovered taking interest in such things.]

“Sorry… I thought of something useless again.”

[As a result of his tendency to attract unexpected variables, your work has become even more crucial.]

“I will keep a closer eye on him.”

[Did you see him today, as well?]

“Yes.
I have been monitoring him constantly.”

[In the future, report to me directly for anything about the boy.]

“I will.” Anna took a deep breath.
“As soon as he arrived at the Academy, Joshua von Agnus had an accident.”

[Accident?]

“He belittled the rapier, so the second son of Sten challenged him to a duel.
Joshua eagerly accepted and then, just earlier, knocked down Amaru bron Sten in front of everyone.”

[That’s fantastic.] The man’s stiff expression collapsed into laughter. [I can’t wait to see how Duke Agnus reacts when he hears about this.] The man clapped his hands together.

“This makes me nervous.
Monitoring will be difficult if Duke Agnus pulls Joshua back into the household out of fear of a greater incident.”

[The Duke getting involved? Well, it’s not impossible…]

“If the Duke starts to have negative ideas, it’ll be difficult for us.
The Duchy isn’t a place we have enough intelligence on.”

[That isn’t the issue, is it?] The man shook his head and smiled widely. [I know a terrific man named Duke Agnus who will be thrilled to hear the news.
Perhaps that child will take over as the Duke’s official successor.]

“If the succession is flipped, it won’t be pretty—especially since he’s a concubine’s child.
Would the Duke really set Babel von Agnus aside? I mean, no matter how much the Duke loves talent…” Anna shook her head; she didn’t believe it would ever happen.
“I don’t understand.”

[He is indeed the humble child of a maid, but—] The man grinned inscrutably, to Anna’s consternation. [wouldn’t it be lovely if his own child was better off than the others?]