Chapter 30: Pawns, Fates, and Hidden Fangs

As Ethan sat in his spacious chamber, the reality of his situation settled heavily into his mind. He couldn’t just deal with Lumian out in the open.

The real obstacle standing in his way was Lady Rose Sterling.

She was overprotective of her son to a pathological degree, and Ethan finally understood why: through Lumian’s mind-broadcasting system, Lumian constantly fed her flattering, comforting thoughts, cementing her absolute bias toward him while completely casting aside her own daughter.

To eliminate Lumian, Ethan first had to remove Rose from the chessboard. But he lacked precise intelligence on her full capabilities. He only knew she was cunning, sharp, and a Rank-4 Mage.

Ethan raised his right hand, the space before him distorting softly as he summoned the Star Concealment Pagoda. A brilliant silver light washed over the room from its first tier, and a familiar figure stepped out onto the polished wooden floor.

It was Selena. She wore a sleek, dark-blue lather tunic that fit her agile frame, her dark blue hair tied back in a neat ponytail.

In her hand, she held a wooden practice sword, her posture rigid as if she had been in the middle of a rigorous training routine inside the artifact’s time-dilated space. She immediately dropped into a respectful salute, resting the hilt of the wooden blade against the floor.

"Master," Selena said, her voice steady and obedient. "Is there a task for me? I am ready to serve."

Ethan looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recalled her background. "You were connected to the City Commander’s household, weren’t you? What was your actual standing there?"

Selena nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Master. But I was never the main wife. I was a concubine whom he kept hidden away for a long time. I held virtually no real authority within the main estate. Besides, the City Commander is dead now, and whatever residual influence his main household had has likely crumbled."

"Then tell me what you know about Lady Rose Sterling," Ethan demanded smoothly.

Selena looked up, a thoughtful expression crossing her features.

"I know a great deal about her, Master. Two years ago, during the border conflicts, my entire body was crippled, leading to the collapse of our household and the death of my husband. Rose participated in that exact campaign. She is a formidable Rank-4 Mage specializing in high-level fire elements, particularly magma-based destructive spells and long-range tracking incantations. With the right artifacts, her destructive output can even pressure a fledgling Rank-5 Mage."

Ethan listened carefully, committing every detail to memory. Then, he asked the crucial question, his voice dropping an octave. "Did you ever notice anything strange about her? Any anomaly that felt... unnatural for a mere Rank-4 Mage?"

Ethan needed to be certain. A Rank-5 Mage was formidable—capable of serving as a supreme Knight Commander or regional general within a kingdom, wielding specialized Rank-5 artifacts. While terrifying, a Rank-5 Mage could still be handled with high-grade tactical assets.

However, the chasm between a Rank-5 Mage and a Rank-6 Mage was as vast as the gulf between heaven and earth.

Ranks 1 through 5 had standard scaling, but breaking through to Rank-6 required surviving a Divine Tribulation, granting the mage a divine physique and profound elemental enlightenment.

A Rank-6 being was essentially a walking deity among mortals, capable of single-handedly altering the fate of empires.

Ethan suspected that Rose might be one of those hidden powerhouses who kept her true strength heavily concealed. If she was anything above Rank-5, his plan to assassinate Lumian would have to be meticulously delayed.

"What is your current cultivation rank?" Ethan asked, shifting his gaze to her deep black eyes.

"Master, I have successfully stabilized and broken through to a Rank-2 Warrior, thanks to the medicine and metrial you have provided" Selena answered firmly. "If you give me a few more months inside the pagoda, I can easily reach Rank-3."

Ethan weighed the variables in his mind. "With your current Rank-2 warrior strength, if I provide you with high-grade artifacts far surpassing standard Rank-4 gear, could you intercept and stall Rose for just one minute?"

Selena bit her lower lip, running the calculations in her head. "There is perhaps a 40% chance. I know her combat habits and spell patterns inside out, but my physical recovery is still incomplete, and her explosive power is monstrous."

Ethan nodded slowly, a dark, calculating glint flashing in his eyes as a new, intricate strategy began to form in his mind.

"You may return," Ethan commanded softly.

At his words, a beam of pristine white light washed over Selena. In a flash, her form dissolved into glowing particles, drawn back into the depths of the Star Concealment Pagoda. With her safely stored away once more, Ethan flickered his wrist, storing the artifact securely back into his system inventory.

He pulled up his personal status interface, his eyes landing on his remaining currency.

He had recently spent a massive sum of his accumulated fate points to acquire high-grade medicinal herbs, spiritual pills, and training materials, funneling them into the pagoda to accelerate Selena’s recovery and growth. Checking his balance now, he saw he was down to just 63,000 Fate Points.

63,000... Ethan frowned slightly. That wasn’t nearly enough to brute-force a win against a veteran Rank-4 Mage like Lady Rose if she possessed hidden trump cards or elite defensive artifacts. He needed something sharp, efficient, and unpredictable.

Before he could delve deeper into his tactical planning, a sharp knock echoed at his door.

Ethan waved his hand, unlocking the heavy wood.

The elderly butler stood on the threshold, bowing with stiff, immaculate posture. "Young Master Ethan," the butler announced smoothly. "Madam Rose requested that I give you and Arthur a complete tour of the manor. Would you care to join me?"

Ethan was just about to refuse—intent on mapping out his assassination parameters in peace—when a sudden movement caught his eye in the hallway behind the butler.

A delicate silhouette stepped out from the shadows and approached the doorway. It was Seraphina.

She had changed out of her traveling clothes into a refined, aristocratic ivory dress embroidered with subtle silver threads that shimmered softly under the corridor lamps.

Her silver-blonde hair fell in smooth waves around her shoulders, framing her face like spun moonlight, while her luminous emerald-green eyes—reminiscent of polished jade—glowed with an intense, quiet curiosity.

Noticing her arrival, the butler blinked in surprise and quickly turned around. "Ah, Young Miss Seraphina," the butler said, his tone softening slightly. "You shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t you be attending your afternoon arcane lecture right now?"

Seraphina gently brushed past the butler without a second glance, stepping directly into Ethan’s room.

She walked right up to Ethan, stopping just a breath away. With a smooth, deliberate motion, she extended one small, delicate hand out toward him in a gesture of greeting, a soft, ethereal smile gracing her lips.

"Hello," she said, her voice melodic and clear. "My name is Seraphina sterling."

She tilted her head slightly, correcting herself with a playful, self-aware sparkle in her jade eyes.

"Would you... would you like to be my friend?"

Ethan stared down at her outstretched hand, a slow, knowing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

An ancient empress reincarnated, offering a handshake to a five-year-old boy, Ethan thought, a wave of dark, cynical amusement washing over him.

What an exquisite way to approach your past husband. If I were an actual, ordinary five-year-old child right now, I probably would have melted on the spot, completely charmed by your noble hospitality and innocent smile. But knowing that you carry the soul of a sovereign who lived a hundred lifetimes of agony... this whole scene is deliciously surreal.

Outwardly, Ethan’s expression softened into an innocent, welcoming child’s grin. He reached out and grasped her small hand, giving it a polite, firm shake.

"I’d love to be your friend, Seraphina," Ethan replied smoothly, his eyes locking onto hers with a depth that completely belied his physical age.

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