Chapter 25: A Lock within a Lock

"You’ve proven yourself extremely useful, Silvester," Sebastian said. "More useful than anyone in my household expected."

"I just did my job, My Lord," I replied dryly. "Does this mean I get my payment and go back to the guild? Or are we still doing this family confrontation thing?"

Sebastian chuckled, but eventually ignored my sarcasm. "The weapon in that chest is the Ice Sword Sovereign. It was forged by the first Patriarch of the Voulstridge bloodline. It was a lost item of our family, the symbol of inheritance for the master of our family’s elemental art."

I glanced at the sword resting in the chest. "It looks pretty expensive."

"Only a mage with pure Voulstridge blood and proper mana synchronization can wield it, and you finally unlocked it," Sebastian continued.

"Nah. Arielle unlocked it," I corrected. "I just gave her proper instructions."

"That doesn’t matter to the outside world," Sebastian said seriously. "If the news gets out that a low-rank locksmith opened the family’s precious chest, the factions will interrogate us. They will think our family is weakening or that our seals are easily bypassed."

"What’s your point?" My eyes narrowed on him. "You’re going to silence me so the secret doesn’t leak?"

"Father, don’t..." Arielle’s face turned pale.

"Quiet, Arielle," Sebastian commanded. He looked at me with sharp eyes. "It would be a waste of a rare tool if I killed you, Silvester. But I cannot let you walk away easily, either."

"I don’t like where this conversation is going, My Lord."

"You will be appointed as Arielle’s personal magic advisor," Sebastian declared. "Effective immediately. You will spend two days a week performing your duty."

"An advisor? I’m a locksmith, not a spell expert." I frowned.

"You are whatever I require you to be to keep my daughter controlled. You will train her to control her magic for a few months before she enters the primary school at the Novarian Magic Academy."

Arielle gasped. "The Academy? Father, I am not ready!"

"Silvester will make you ready." Sebastian glanced at her. "The family obligations remain. You will enter the Academy, and Silvester will ensure that your mana is truly stable."

Novarian Magic Academy’s primary school was exclusive to nobles. A commoner like me would only have a chance to enter the academy upon turning sixteen, but the odds were pretty low. They only accepted mages with high-level offensive and defensive skills, and I didn’t have any of those.

I came back to my senses and spoke.

"And if I disagree?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What if I take my pay and walk out of your estate now?"

Sebastian smiled, though it was entirely fake. "Then I will have you arrested for trespassing in my house, attempting to steal the family chest, and assaulting my daughter."

"I just pinched her cheek! I didn’t assault her!"

"My word against yours, little locksmith," Sebastian said calmly. "Who do you think people will believe? The Duke of Voulstridge or a nameless locksmith?"

I stared back at him, my teeth gritted. Classic noble bastard, power-tripping and always taking advantage of the situation.

"You’re a real piece of work, huh?" I said, shaking my head.

"I am a realistic person," Sebastian replied smoothly. "In exchange for your service, you will receive fifty gold coins a month, full access to our estate’s library, and immunity from taxes. Furthermore, once you reach the proper age for a commoner, I will recommend you for the academy’s annual scholarship examination."

Fifty gold coins a month was more than a skilled locksmith made in a year. In addition, I would gain access to an estate library containing knowledge found nowhere else.

I analyzed the situation thoroughly.

The risk was high, but the reward was massive. If I rejected this offer, I might get killed on the spot or hunted down as a fugitive.

I let out a long sigh and responded, "Fine. Fifty gold coins, library access, and a recommendation once I reach the right age. I will sign the contract if I get my freedom once Arielle successfully enters the Academy. No hidden clauses."

"Consider it done, Silvester," Sebastian said, then turned to Arielle. "Take the sword, Arielle."

She blinked, looking at the box. "Right now?"

"You unlocked it, my love," Sebastian said softly. "It is yours by blood. Reach out and claim it."

Arielle nervously looked at me. I gave her a simple nod. "Go on. Just don’t force your mana all at once. Treat it like a peacemaker, not a weapon of war."

She took a slow breath and stepped up to the table. She reached into the chest and wrapped her slender fingers around the white hilt of the Ice Sword Sovereign.

A bright hum vibrated through the room the moment she touched the metal. The white glow on the blade flared. It wrapped around her arm in a spiral of frost that didn’t harm her. The cold mist swirled toward the sword and was absorbed until the blade shone like clear ice crystal.

Arielle lifted the sword. A small, genuine smile appeared on her face as she looked at the reflection of her blue eyes on the ice blade.

"It’s warm," she whispered.

"That is because it is responding to your pure mana, not the ice spirit," I said, my arms crossed. "Keep practicing that rhythm. If you lose focus at the academy, you’re going to freeze the entire dorm building."

"I won’t lose focus." She looked at me with determination. "Not with my ’advisor’ talking to me so disrespectfully."

"Good," Sebastian said. "Put the sword back in the chest and return to your quarters. I will call a healer to check on both of you. Silvester, report to my office in an hour. We need to draw up your contract and sign it."

"Understood, My Lord," I said, adopting a formal tone to keep him satisfied.

Sebastian paused at the doorway and looked at me one last time. "Another thing, Silvester."

"Yes?"

"If my daughter comes to any harm while under your care... you’ll definitely never see a sunrise again."

He did not wait for my reply. The Duke turned and walked down the hallway, his heavy footsteps echoing in the distance.

I let out a sigh and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Well, that went great. A fine reward, a death threat, and a babysitting job two days a week," I muttered to myself.

Arielle looked at me with a mix of annoyance and relief. "Trust me. He’s not gonna kill you. He’s just overprotective."

"Your father is a terrifying oppressor with enough mana to crush a building, and you’re a high-maintenance daughter who almost turned me into an ice sculpture," I said, walking around to inspect the empty chest.

"I said thank you earlier. You don’t have to keep bringing it up, Silvester!" She huffed, placing the sword carefully inside the chest.

"I’m going to bring it up every time you annoy me for the next few months," I said with a grin.

I leaned over the chest. Something subtle caught my attention.

Locksmith’s Eye.

There was a faint line in the wooden base beneath the cushion where the sword had rested. It wasn’t part of the chest’s design. It was another lock beneath the cushion.

A lock within a lock?

I narrowed my eyes. It wasn’t a pattern of ice magic. It was a complex spatial seal, far more advanced than the ice seal we had just unlocked.

"You’re being weird again. What are you looking at?" Arielle asked.

"Nothing. Just admiring the craftsmanship," I said quickly, placing the cushion back to cover the seal.

"You and your lock obsession." She shook her head. "I’m going to my room. Don’t be late for my father’s study, or he really will kill you."

"I’ll be there on time," I replied.

As soon as Arielle left the room, I reached down and lightly touched the bottom of the chest.

I let out a chuckle as my chest tightened with a mix of anticipation and danger.

The Duke didn’t know his late wife had hidden something else inside the second lock.

"Whatever is inside this seal must be a true treasure," I whispered to myself.