Ignius looked at his master and even without reading what's on his mind, he knew what the other was thinking. He didn't mind though because he got to play to his heart's content and he didn't need to be cooped up inside that black and boring dimension. This would also be a payback for everything his master has gone through.
"Should I hand them to you now?" The dragon asked while his body floated around Cygnus.
"Not yet." The master shook his head after answering.
"Can I play with them then?" His body floated vertically as he posed like he was sitting on a chair as he continued to float.
"Do as you please but don't destroy them yet, I'll personally do that after I settle matters in this place." Cygnus did not have any intention of stopping the dragon from playing. "I have Aurora to help me this time, so you can go and enjoy yourself for now."
The dragon gasped and almost lost control of his magic when he heard that name. "You're letting that woman help you!? You should have left her to rot in that place!"
Cygnus watched as the dragon started to pace on the floor while mumbling to himself. He knew that the two of them were not on good terms but it didn't matter to him. Aurora was the most suitable person he could use for his non-existent plans in Blackwell.
"There's nothing wrong with me letting her out once in a while besides she's the most suitable person I could use right now," Cygnus stated.
Ignius knew that the master was right but he still had his doubts. He still felt uncomfortable for that woman to be around the master because she was bad news. He stopped pacing to face the master.
"If that woman ever does something to hurt you, you can't just banish her. You should not be lenient with her." The dragon warned as he stared intently at the man.
"Why are you being paranoid? The woman can't hurt me besides I'm sure that she learned her lesson after that time and just let her off because I was thinking that I could still have a use for her. Now there is an opportunity so I let her work," the man answered. It was already a long time ago but if the woman would try to attempt anything, then she could always face the consequences of her actions.
The dragon sighed. Paranoid? He was not paranoid because what happened that time was something he would not forget nor forgive. The master's enemies almost caught the master and because they strangely have the ability to hurt him, he almost died and that was because of Aurora. She exposed where the master was during that time and almost made an escape but luckily the master still found her and imprisoned her in a dimension similar to the black dragon's home.
They suggested that he kill her but the master just sealed her in there and it was over 500 years since that happened. Ignius hasn't seen the woman yet since they were not informed of the master's moves and he must have instructed the butler not to tell them about his decision. He could only sigh and decided to let things be, nevertheless his master could take of himself.
"Alright, it's still your call since you are the master." He finally returned to his relaxed self and floated in the air again. "How long are you going to stay in this gloomy place?" He asked out of nowhere.
"Until I say so. There's still something I want to know because of the history I heard from the duke himself. It was related to what happened a thousand years ago. Isn't that very convenient, I'm suddenly learning information from that event even though I am not actively looking for them." Cygnus took a deep breath and smiled.
He did not know if it was fate, a coincidence or the work of somebody but the plan of living peacefully was interrupted when he found Elehiya's son. That encounter must have been a coincidence and then when he targeted the magic tower because of his innate dislike towards them, he surprisingly learned that the Magus Maximus was someone from his past. Now that he was in Blackwell to explore the territory because he was interested in spirits and the negative energy within it, he discovered that the Blackwell ancestors had, in some ways, connection to that hunt.
"Are you implying that this place is connected to that hunt a thousand years ago?" the dragon stopped beside the master.
"Yes, the duke mentioned that the ancestor of Blackwell killed some slaves because he didn't want to get on the bad side of those hunters but when I asked if he knew the reason why a hunt suddenly happened during that time, he didn't know the answer. So, I'll be staying here until I uncover everything about that death hunt." The master's pupils contracted and slowly turned into the color of blood as the room's temperature went down.
"If that's the case, you might want to talk to the guardian of this place. I can feel that he is still around and is lazing around," the dragon suggested.
He had felt it the moment he set foot in the room. It was a distinct presence that was covering the whole place. It was a bit faint now because the guardian seemed to have been slacking in keeping the protection spell that he casted on the whole territory.
"That must be the black serpent on that painting. According to the duke, that serpent is sleeping right now." Cygnus let out a deep sigh. The dragon knew that he was only acting and he had an inkling that the master had already prepared a path to deal with the serpent.
"That serpent might know something since he has lived for a long time now, he's older than you and I think that we are similar in age." The dragon answered while nodding his head. "Can I join you when you go and meet the serpent?"
Cygnus looked at the dragon with a mysterious look on his face and a teasing grin appeared on his face. "The serpent is a man so why would you want to come when I go and meet him?"
The dragon frowned because of the teasing tone from the master's voice. "Master, please stop thinking of this weird nonsense. I am only interested in a creature that has lived as long as I have. I've never seen a dragon before and he is the closest species to us. It is pure curiosity."
The master was surprised at how serious the dragon spoke. "Alright, I'll call you when I will go and meet that serpent."
"Don't keep me waiting," the dragon grinned. He floated a few more times before he went ahead and disappeared from the place.
Isaiah and Ezio, who wandered around the manor, came to a stop in front of a huge white door. They could hear a busy noise inside and before they knocked, they first looked at each other and nodded. Isaiah raised his fist and gently knocked on the door. They then took one step back and patiently waited for the door to be opened.
Archmage Sigma was busy in his workshop after that hectic and tense morning. He needed to create a talisman that was capable of driving away a malevolent spirit that they could distribute to the people just in case one would appear again. This will at least help clear one of the things that was keeping the duke worried.
He was in the middle of trying several talismans when he heard the knock on the door and thought that it must be the two youngsters. The archmage stopped what he was doing and went to open the door. He ushered the two of them inside the workroom and let them sit down for a moment.
"Are the both of you here to help me with the talismans?" He asked even though he already knew what the answer was.
Both of them simultaneously nodded their heads. They saw how the archmage's face brightened and the black lines under his eyes visibly disappeared. Isaiah and Ezio weren't averse to helping the archmage since it was also an opportunity for them to learn. That was why when they met Duke Blackwell and heard about the situation, they volunteered to help. The duke must have informed the archmage beforehand because he was clearly happy to see them.
"We wanted to help and learn at the same time," Isaiah said when they saw that the archmage was relieved to see them.
"Shall we start then?" Sigma pointed at his workstation and the two young men nodded. They stood up and followed the man.
They watched as he engraved the spell on a metal plate. While he was engraving, he was also simultaneously infusing mana into each stroke to make the talisman more effective. It took him only a couple of minutes to finish a talisman and they saw that there were different protective spells on each one of the talismans.
