As a representative of a major power like Necropolis—a nation with a long history of amicable diplomatic relations with Vestri—and given Divris's own pivotal role, the Vestrian royal family could hardly afford to be casual in their reception.

However, due to the specific request I had made to Harxon—"Since our stopover in Vestri is merely for transit, the whole affair must remain as secret as possible"—I was compelled to enter through a back entrance to evade prying eyes, particularly those of spies from other nations.

The Vestrian side, too, devised an exceptionally discreet plan to facilitate my meeting with their royal diplomatic delegation to discuss strategy.

"I really just want to go in disguise as a member of the Vestri nobility. Having to meet with their royal family members in person is going to be such a hassle, Harxon."

I was well aware that throughout the three centuries of diplomatic exchange between our two nations, Vestri had invariably been the one to dispatch envoys to Necropolis to foster cooperation; the reverse had never once occurred. Yet now, one of the most pivotal figures in all of Necropolis had arrived for a visit.

"Rest assured, my friend. The Vestri royal family places immense value on their friendship with Necropolis, so they will treat you like a national treasure."

"It's not the *treatment* I'm worried about. If Concordia were to discover that the Vestri royal family is deliberately harboring an agent from the Kingdom of Shadows within their borders, things would get extremely tense."

"And how exactly would they find out?"

"What if there are spies?"

"A master of mental illusion magic—afraid of mere spies?"

"Are you suggesting I should cast spells on every single person I encounter?"

"Just a simple lie-detection spell. It would allow you to identify any spies for the Vestri royal family without breaking a single sweat. Better yet, it actually gives Vestri an advantage. They've been plagued by the looming threat of a Concordia invasion for years now; rooting out spies within their own ranks is hardly any different from infiltrating Concordia itself."

It was true: Necropolis had indeed maintained a strictly neutral stance throughout the early stages of the novel's narrative. Although Vestri maintains friendly trade relations with Necropolis, these ties remain strictly moderate. The two sides engage in absolutely no military cooperation.

The kind of profound influence Harxon just described serves as an overwhelming trump card—one that ensures Vestri cannot be easily bullied by Concordia.

"What you just suggested would drastically alter the military landscape between Vestri and Concordia, Harxon; that runs counter to Necropolis's long-standing principles," I said with concern.

"The coming Divine Cataclysm? Given the magnitude of that threat—as you well know—bending the rules a little seems like a trivial matter by comparison, wouldn't you agree?" Harxon replied confidently.

That was the brief conversation Harxon and I shared just before boarding the ship. I was scheduled to meet with a member of the Vestri royal family—though, at the time, I did not yet know who that would be. Consequently, I spent the entirety of the past four days poring over the profiles of every single member of the Vestri royal house.

The massive vessel arriving from Necropolis made no attempt to conceal its destination. The flag of the Kingdom of Necropolis flew high, casting a somber, shadowy pall beneath it. And, just as planned, our ship had been designated—from the very start of the voyage—as a standard cargo vessel.

Lynn, Daisy, and I would remain inside the laboratory. This room was to be disguised as an ordinary shipping crate and transported into a communal warehouse. It was there, within the warehouse, that a member of the royal family—secretly in disguise—would signal for the three of us to reveal ourselves.

And so, we finally came face-to-face with Vestri's special diplomatic envoy. This diplomatic delegation consisted of a single individual—and, fortunately, I recognized exactly who he was the very moment our eyes met.

"My sincerest apologies, Grand Sorceress Divris of the Black Tower, for forcing you to undertake such an arduous journey to visit this humble little nation of ours." His voice was smooth; his demeanor—calm, composed, and radiating an air of profound intellect and keen insight—immediately commanded my undivided attention. The man lowered his hood, revealing a face that looked to be around my own age. Judging by the shape of his ears, I immediately recognized him as a half-elf—the same race as Lynn; in fact, even his complexion and facial features bore a resemblance to his.

Half-elves were rare enough as it was, but for one to hold such a high-ranking position within a nation's royal court, he was clearly a figure of no small significance.

It was Camelio Dolian—a character who featured quite prominently in the novel. He was a powerful mage who stood at the very pinnacle of the Ivory Tower, the institution responsible for training the world's elite battlemages.

"Grand Wizard Camelio Dolian of the Ivory Tower, you are far too humble. I do not feel inconvenienced in the slightest; rather, having you accede to my selfish request makes me feel incredibly guilty. Therefore, I hope that King Harxon's price reduction on this latest shipment of goods will serve as some small recompense."

"Providing such a large quantity of high-quality goods to Vestri at virtually no cost cannot possibly be compared to the simple request made by you, Grand Sorceress Divris."

I was truly losing patience with this sort of long-winded conversation and elaborate etiquette; however, these are the social protocols of a world with a clearly defined social hierarchy, so I had no choice but to abide by them.

"Please, Grand Wizard Dolian, simply call me Divris; there is no need for us to maintain such stifling formality. Did you come here alone?"

"Indeed, ma'am... I apologize—Miss Divris. I have stationed guards at the gate with the utmost discretion, ensuring they remain entirely unobtrusive. Please, rest assured."

"In that case, I am greatly relieved. Thank you, Sir Dolian," I said with a gentle smile. "We are truly delighted and honored to be welcomed by the head of the Ivory Tower himself. This is my apprentice, Lynn Xyrlen." I introduced Lynn with cheerful enthusiasm.

Lynn lowered his hood and offered a polite greeting.

"I am Grand Sorceress Divris's apprentice. It is a distinct honor to meet you, Grand Wizard Dolian; I hope to merit your kind guidance." Lynn crossed one hand over his chest and bowed deeply.

Without the slightest hesitation regarding the disparity in their ranks, Camelio stepped forward to shake Lynn's hand—a gesture that caused the young man to blush deeply.

"I, too, look forward to your assistance, Mr. Xyrlen."

It seemed that upon encountering a rare member of his own race, Dolian simply could not restrain his natural warmth and friendliness.

"Yes... I look forward to receiving your guidance, Sir Dolian," Lynn replied, his face still flushed with embarrassment. According to diplomatic protocol, a kingdom typically arranges for officials of equivalent rank from visiting nations to meet. Camelio Dolian, here, is precisely my counterpart. And at this moment—by my assessment—he appears outwardly calm; yet, he harbors a deeply concealed anxiety, one so profound that even his polite smile betrays a certain stiffness.

"My apologies for the lack of ceremony. Please, follow me to the carriage; we shall escort you to the guest house to ensure you receive a more proper reception."

"I appreciate it. I do have one other associate with me, though I had hoped to wait until we reached a suitable place of rest before formally introducing this individual," I replied politely.

A flicker of alarm crossed Dolian's face, though he swiftly masked it behind his usual impassive demeanor.

"In that case, I shall arrange an additional room for this extra member."

"That is quite unnecessary. A single room with two beds will suffice; neither I nor my associates require a great deal of space."

"Understood. In that case, let us set out without delay."

With that, Lynn and I retreated back inside the laboratory—a chamber concealed within a spherical wooden casing. I cast a spell to reduce the weight of the entire room, thereby facilitating its transport.

Outside the port's massive warehouse, numerous carriages stood waiting; our room successfully blended in, disguised as a standard cargo crate, and was loaded onto a carriage to continue its journey along the long overland route.

Less than half a day later, the carriage came to a halt at a fortress—a site Camelio introduced as a clandestine research facility belonging to Vestri, currently under his direct supervision. It was here that I would establish my cover identity: that of a scholar and a merchant. It was a somewhat elaborate guise, yet it served as the perfect cover, granting me access to the vast majority of Concordia's commercial and academic institutions.

The castle, quite large and built entirely of stone blocks, has an ancient appearance. This place has the appearance of a long-abandoning outpost that has recently been renovated. The security of this place is so impenetrable that there are absolutely no land routes leading into the castle. Entry is possible only through magic or by means of flight. The area is extremely heavily guarded, surrounded by a massive magical barrier spanning a radius of over a mile.

I employed a spell of clairvoyance to observe the scenery outside. It was, indeed, a frigid temperate zone. Although this location is not situated particularly close to the polar ice caps, one still cannot afford to be complacent regarding the biting cold.

The mages transported all goods and provisions into the castle entirely through the use of telekinesis. Thus, the inhabitants of this place are exclusively mages. Eventually, it was our turn—or rather, the turn of our decoy crates—to be whisked inside by magic.

A few hours later, having received a safe signal from outside, we went out to meet Camelio, who led us to a common area.

"Grand Sorceress Divris, you must have heard about the spy-hunting plan of the Demon Lord Harxon. To be frank, this is Vestri's most secret research facility, and despite our best preparations, I'm not entirely confident that the mages here are completely loyal."

"I understand. You don't need to explain further. Just tell me what I need to do. But first, I need to ask you something."

"Please, Miss Divris, go ahead."

"If the spy is discovered, may I know how you or the royal family will handle it?"

Asking this question was sensitive. Although it didn't involve my authority, given its extremely serious nature regarding national security, Dalion might be anticipating my reaction.

"I've considered that scenario a lot, but I haven't been able to come up with a clear method of handling it. It depends on who the person is."

"I thought the easiest option would be the death penalty?"

"Humanitarianism isn't the royal family's top priority, but I always want the outcome to be as close to that value as possible."

"So, what do you think a spy would be like, Mr. Dalion?"

"Probably someone who's extremely well-trained, skilled in many things, a truly terrifying lying machine."

"Do you know what the normal signs of detecting lies are?"

"I read that it's the ability to detect four bodily reactions: breathing rate, heart rate, unnecessary behavior, and facial expressions."

"Do you know that those things can be trained to be concealed?"

Dalion said nothing, as if he already knew that knowledge was useless against a highly skilled spy.

"Haha, don't worry, that's why you need my lie-detective spell, right?"

"That's right, it's an incredibly difficult spell to master. Even though the ivory tower has a research department dedicated to it, what we're doing is like a toddler learning to walk."

"I'm so curious, maybe when I have time I'll send my apprentice to join." I glanced at Lynn.

"If... if Master Dalion allows it." Lynn shyly bowing his head, replied.

"What are you saying, Mister Xyrlen? If you're an apprentice chosen by the Great Sorceress Divris, how could I refuse? On the contrary, I have so much to learn from you."
I and Lynn were given disguises—the uniforms of mages working in the research area. My task was simply to cast a spell on a large number of mages.

"I want to participate too." Daisy appeared out of nowhere and spoke.

Dalion was utterly terrified, and at this moment, he couldn't regain his composure as quickly as before.

"It's...it's a bone dragon..." he stammered.

"A baby bone dragon," Daisy corrected.

"I'm sorry, I forgot. This is the other member I mentioned. Daisy, a bone fairy dragon. She's more than twice my age, but in dragon age, she's still considered a child."

"A bone dragon and a fairy dragon...how is that possible?" Dalion was stunned, as if what he saw was beyond his imagination.

"I had the same question, but I still haven't been able to figure out how those two powers could combine," I said.

"I think I need to sit down." Dalion stumbled to find a chair to lean on.

"I think so too. Let's sit down and compose ourselves."

Dalion had suggested that Daisy disguise herself as a more common creature—a water elemental. Water elementals come in many lovely and beautiful forms. So Daisy chose to transform into one of the four great sea monsters we had encountered off the coast of Necropolis: a stingray.

"But we haven't prepared Daisy's cover story yet," Lynn said.

"I have an idea," Dalion unexpectedly said.

The dining hall was where all the mages of this research institute gathered for a cozy evening. The space was quite large. There were 36 people in total, not including Dalion, Lynn, and me.

"I am pleased to introduce an extremely rare water elemental that has been successfully hatched by the laboratory in the capital. A spirit with an unusual form, the Calamity Stingray."Then Daisy appeared in the form I created using my high-level illusion technique. This could also be a precautionary measure specifically for Daisy, as I successfully created a spell to suppress the undead aura so she could freely accompany the group.

Daisy floated in the vast dining hall. Wherever she flew, mana crystals dispersed. This was a diversionary tactic to prevent my wide-area lie detection spell from being detected.

Elite mages are inherently sensitive to magic. Using overt magic would immediately reveal caster's presence. Dalion's suggestion for Daisy to appear was truly brilliant.

And so, my role was merely a fleeting appearance through Dalion's introduction.

The mages were all fascinated by the stingray-shaped water elemental, as if it had been a long time since they'd seen something new in the cramped, boring space of this research facility.

"And thank you to the two apprentice mages, Diana and Lynn, for bringing the spirit to our research facility. Both will be working here for about a week before moving to another section."

Everyone's eyes turned to Lynn, a handsome half-elf who resembled Dalion. Everyone wondered if they were related.

"We hope for your kind consideration," Lynn and I said in unison, bowing.

A round of enthusiastic applause followed.

"They must be royal mages, members of the royal family or elite nobility."

"They must be from a privileged family."

A few whispers mingled with the applause. Daisy overheard a few, mostly half-truths. It seemed that in the mage world, lineage really did have a significant influence. I sadly glanced at Dalion and gave him a 'mission accomplished' sign after finding out the target.

Dalion invited Lynn and me down to eat with everyone.

The atmosphere at dinner was very artificial; I felt an invisible distance from those around me. Insincere flattery was meticulously wrapped in cheerful, friendly, and hospitable gestures. Those from less privileged backgrounds were wary and kept their distance from us. There was absolutely no equality here. It was also a place full of divisions over countless trivial things. The mediocrity grew in my impression of everything here.

Is every world like this? What could I expect from this place? It was built by an author from my old world. How could things like this be missing?