The moment Kael's eyes glowed, Nocthyr's gaze locked onto his.
He didn't know whether it was some kind of skill or merely a bluff meant to intimidate him—but either way, it didn't work. He didn't flinch. He didn't move. He simply stared back at Kael without a trace of fear.
"Is that some kind of skill?" Nocthyr asked calmly. "I didn't know you possessed more abilities. The intelligence I gathered said you only had two skills…"
Stop talking, Kael ordered in his mind.
The elf continued anyway.
This time, Kael said it out loud.
"Stop."
Only then did Nocthyr fall silent—not because of the skill, but because he didn't want to provoke Kael further and make things worse for his people.
So it doesn't work again, Kael thought coldly.Does this skill really do nothing except slowly drain mana from the target?
The description had clearly stated that the user could control enemies like puppets as long as they possessed less mana than the caster.
There's no way he has more mana than me. So is this a mastery issue?Tch… I need to raise it faster.
"Is it a D-rank skill?" Nocthyr spoke again after a moment. "Or maybe E-rank? Perhaps C-rank, since you're the duke's son?"
Kael clicked his tongue.
"So it really doesn't work on you. I thought the mana-blocking collar would make a difference, but I suppose that was wishful thinking."
"So it really was a skill," Nocthyr said. "Not a trick."
"Yes," Kael replied calmly. "And I was hoping it would work on you—so I could send you back to the elven kingdom and have you assassinate the royal family. "
The elf went completely silent.
That was most likely some kind of hypnosis skill, Nocthyr thought grimly.But its mastery is far too low to affect me. I almost forgot… I'm dealing with a ten-year-old child.
Kael continued without caring what the elf thought.
"If you want to prevent slavery " he said evenly, "you will answer every question I ask. In return, I'll promise not to reveal who hired you."
He paused briefly.
The skill failed, and the collar is preventing mana drain. But it doesn't matter. I already know who ordered my assassination.
If humans learn that elven royalty attempted to kill a Duke's son, war between the races would occur.
As much as I'd like to participate in that war… I refuse to be the reason it starts.
I'll take what I can from him and end this quietly.
The elf princess—Nyssara Silverbloom—was one of the rare existences on this continent with an A-rank skill, Future Sight. She was also one of Aiden's future harem members. Given the lifespan of elves, her skill mastery was likely already near one hundred percent.
She had to be over two hundred years old.
She would also attend the Imperial Academy soon, under the alliance formed between the Empire and the elven kingdom against the upcoming demon invasion.
Kael didn't wait for Nocthyr to respond.
"So," he asked immediately, genuinely curious, "how large is your mana capacity?"
Nocthyr blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Humans and elves shared similar appearances, but their anatomy was different. Elves possessed far stronger natural elemental affinities, and their mana was denser and purer than most humans'.
Kael knew Nyssara's mana capacity from the novel.
But he knew nothing about ordinary elven elites.
"That's all you want to know?" Nocthyr asked, genuinely surprised.
Mana capacity was a deeply personal matter. From mana capacity and persons age, one could easily deduce strength and even how far their skills had progressed if they trained.
If someone possessed an enormous mana pool and was old enought, it meant their skills had already reached full mastery and most likely have high rank skill.
The more mana someone possessed at awakening, the higher the potential rank of their skill—and most skills required nearly ten years to reach their peak.
But Nocthyr was chained. He couldn't threaten Kael
"If that is truly what you wish to know," Nocthyr said after a brief pause, "then I will answer. But you must keep your promise."
"My mana capacity is fourteen thousand. I am one of the best fighters in Duskhelm."
As he continued, a hint of pride crept into his voice.
"My awakening skill is Shadow Dive, B-rank. With it, I can enter any shadow and move freely through them. I can emerge from another shadow as long as it remains within my line of sight."
He straightened against the chains.
"I possess five other skills—one C-rank, three D-rank, and one E-rank."
To nobles born with tutors, resources, and bloodline advantages, such ranks might seem unimpressive.
But to someone who had grown up in an orphanage… on the streets… this was the result of three hundred years of struggle.
Kael looked at him without expression.
"Why do you look proud of such low-level skills?" he asked flatly."Only Shadow Dive is even slightly impressive."
The pride on Nocthyr's face shattered instantly.
"So?" Kael asked flatly. "You look disappointed. Is this the part where you blame rich children for being born ahead?"
Nocthyr didn't answer right away.
"And the reason the princess wanted me dead," Kael continued. "Tell me that."
This time, Nocthyr spoke more slowly.
With a tired sigh, he said, "I don't know the exact reason. She only said that you would become a threat to the elves… and that she saw you her skill."
Kael blinked once.
"…Future sight?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Well, that's interesting," he murmured. So the elven princess saw me in the future…
That alone was worth remembering. And only thing here.
Kael straightened.
"I don't need you anymore."
Before Nocthyr could react, Kael drew a dagger from his belt and slit the elf's throat in one clean motion.
Blood spilled across the stone floor.
As for consequences—Kael didn't care.
Nocthyr would have died regardless. The only reason he'd lived this long was because Kael had requested that from his parents.
And as for killing?
No hesitation and regret.
He had killed before.
When Kael was seven, his father had taken him to the dungeon. A different cell. A different man.
At the time, Kael had thought his father was insane—placing a dagger in a child's hand and saying, Kill him. Then his father explained.
The man was an assassin. One who had tried to poison Kael's food. The moment Kael heard that, he had driven the dagger straight into the man's eye. Since then, Kael had understood something about himself.
If someone tried to kill him, he felt no hesitation in killing them first and no fear after that for taking life.
And his father had been right.
If Kael had hesitated three days ago…
Both he and Seraphina would be dead.
After wiping the blood from his dagger with a handkerchief, Kael slid it back into his belt.
Unhurried, he removed the scroll that had been blocking sound and mana within the cell. The moment its effect faded, he reached for the door.
Before it even opened, the guards outside caught the metallic scent of blood.
They moved instinctively, hands tightening on their weapons, ready to force their way in—
But the door opened first.
Kael stepped out.
The first thing they saw was their young lord, completely unharmed. No wounds. No trace of distress.
Then their eyes shifted past him.
Inside the cell, the elf stood motionless, head slumped forward—his throat cleanly slit, blood pooling beneath his feet.
None of the guards spoke.
They had no authority to question Kael. Their orders were absolute: protect him, and nothing else.
Without a word, they fell into formation behind him.
Kael walked away from the dungeon, footsteps steady, leaving the corpse behind.