As Felipe took the stage, the room grew quiet, and the mages and apprentices began murmuring among themselves. Viscount Carrandia, holding a glass of red wine he had been savoring for quite some time, appeared from somewhere and came to stand beside Lucian, speaking in a low voice with a smile: "Professor, I can probably guess what your purpose is in attending this Feast of Death. But let me give you a piece of advice — if you intend to fight, settle it quickly, or I'll have you both escorted out. Hehe, as much as I'd love to witness a magical battle between two top-tier Rank Five mages, that's only on the condition that it doesn't threaten me or my castle."
Lucian tilted his head and looked at Viscount Carrandia with a disdainful gaze, silently grumbling to himself: "You think you know my purpose? At this point, even I don't know what my purpose is anymore!"
Things had already developed beyond his control and expectations. He was tasting the bitter consequences of his boldness, decisiveness, and appetite for risk, learning that no method, no style of action, was ever purely beneficial without drawbacks!
His eyes hidden beneath his hood, Lucian answered mildly: "Perhaps I'm just here to look around? Sometimes, fighting isn't the best way to resolve things."
"Hehe, Professor, your words are full of philosophy. But fighting is indeed the best way to deal with an enemy's body and soul." Viscount Carrandia straightened his back and gazed toward the half-raised wooden platform where Felipe stood, along with the four representatives elected by the apprentices and necromancers — the old necromancer Ceci, the female necromancer Tess with her rough, pale skin and plain, somber face, the young necromancer Quentin whose smile was reasonably genial, and the horrifying necromancer Sydney whose face and hands were covered with stitched seam lines. They were also the only four mid-tier mages from the former Wilfred territories — two at the Fourth Ring and two at the Third.
The mages nearby, who had inherited the traditions of the ancient magical empire, were accustomed to deferring to the powerful, so the representatives chosen to negotiate with Felipe were naturally the strongest among them.
"Aren't you going up, Professor?" Viscount Carrandia raised his glass toward the platform with a smile in his voice.
"...Go up and seek death?" Lucian continued his internal grumbling while finding bitter amusement in the situation, wrapping his behavior in words that sounded profound: "Sometimes, standing below, standing further back, lets you see even more."
Viscount Carrandia smiled elegantly and turned to clink his glass against Lucian's: "No wonder they call you Professor."
On the platform, Ceci spoke with his habitual stiff expression: "Mr. Felipe, thank you for your invitation, giving us mages and apprentices who've been scurrying about like cave rats the chance to gather together and exchange magical knowledge and items. For us, that alone is enough to be called a Feast of Death — it's a rare opportunity to improve our strength. What else did you wish to discuss with us?"
Felipe's gaze lingered on Lucian. Seeing that he had no intention of coming up for the moment, Felipe turned to face all the mages and apprentices, his voice gloomy yet resounding: "You've all experienced great hardship in the Wilfred territories, I imagine — lying awake at night fearing the Church might discover your identity, always anxious during meditation and spell practice, even hunted by adventurers, knights, and priests into remote mountains and wilderness, living each day knowing you've seen the sun rise but never certain you'll see it set."
In countries controlled by the Church, every mage and apprentice had more or less similar experiences. Hearing Felipe's words, they could not help but nod in agreement.
"Um, Professor — do you also think Mr. Felipe is right?" Viscount Carrandia was somewhat surprised by Lucian's slight nod of assent.
"Of course. It's simply the truth — there's no need to deny it." Lucian looked the part of someone magnanimously broad-minded.
Felipe continued: "You dare not reveal your identity to relatives and friends. When you achieve something, there's no one to share the joy. The oppression of daily life, the frustration and pain when magic experiments fail — there's nowhere to vent, no one to share the burden. The status you deserve for your strength can never be obtained openly."
"A life like that could be called sorrowful, utterly devoid of color. Do you want to keep living like this?"
As though Felipe had struck a nerve, an apprentice muttered involuntarily: "No, not at all!"
His reaction spread like a chain reaction, and the chorus of "no" rippled through the hall.
This time Lucian said nothing, simply watching Felipe quietly: "If this fellow reveals the intelligence I want to know in front of everyone, then at least this trip wasn't in vain."
Tess, Quentin, Sydney, and Ceci had all caught the meaning behind Felipe's words. After exchanging glances, Ceci spoke up: "Mr. Felipe, if there were any other way, I don't think anyone would choose this life. But can we really break free from it? Will the Continental Magic Parliament help us?"
A softer smile finally appeared on Felipe's pale face: "Yes. I'm here to help all of you. In the countries where the Continental Magic Parliament operates, mages can walk about openly and practice meditation and study Arcane Magic in their own homes and laboratories without fear of the Church breaking down their doors. More than that, those kingdoms allow full mages to serve as city council members — a status equivalent to that of a baronet. And if you possess sufficient strength and prestige to become a member of the Royal Magic Court, that would be equivalent to sitting in the House of Lords — the noble assembly."