"Seems your position within the organization isn't as simple as you've led me to believe," Dean Bruce remarked, giving Alita Miller a thorough look. Judging by her earlier demeanor, he had a strong sense that her strength wasn't as modest as it appeared.
At the very least, she was not as weak as she presented herself to be!
Alita's breath caught as she rolled her eyes. "Here I am discussing serious matters with you, and you're making jokes?"
Dean Bruce kept his expression calm as he continued, "The target is a department head. Even if his personal strength is considerable, he's likely well-guarded on every outing. Not easy to kill."
"Elvis and Cyb have a personal vendetta. Aren't you close with Lord Cyb?" Alita smirked. "If you get his cooperation, we could track Elvis's movements with precision. That way, we could set up an inescapable trap. With your help, killing him would be easy. And if Lord Cyb gets involved himself, all the better."
"Come on," Dean Bruce scoffed. "Even if they have bad blood, they're both with the Nine Provinces Alliance. You think Cyb would help us kill Elvis? Wishful thinking."
"What if Elvis harmed Cyb's sister in the past?" Alita's tone grew darker. "That's Cyb's only sister. If he learns of it, you think he'll let it go?"
"Oh, and by the way," she added softly, "the order to hunt you down? That came from Elvis too."
Dean Bruce raised an eyebrow, his voice low, "Is that true? Or are you just saying this to manipulate me?"
Alita looked genuinely surprised. "Do you think I'd dare deceive someone as powerful as you?"
Dean Bruce shook his head. "Spare me the flattery. If you want my cooperation, it's simple: tell me everything about Elvis. I need to know his magic, his current level—everything."
Hearing this, Alita's face brightened, realizing that Dean Bruce had agreed. She quickly replied, "Elvis isn't that strong. His position as head of enforcement is purely a political move, plus he's known for his expertise in punishment, which helped secure his role."
"His rank is somewhere between an eighth-level Grand Magus and a fifth-level Archmage—no higher. I know his talent well; even with the resources of the Nine Provinces Alliance, it would be impossible for him to advance too quickly in a short time."
"The magical gear he possesses has definitely improved; it's likely a full set of epic-grade magical equipment, though its specific effects are unknown. If you agree to help, I'll immediately dispatch a team for a suicide mission to probe the properties of his magical equipment."
"As for artifacts, he has one particularly powerful item—the Nine-Dragon Diagram. When fully activated, it can summon the spectral forms of nine dragons, each nearly matching his own strength. So, we'll need to set up an array in advance to handle it."
"Everything else he has is trivial, not worth worrying about."
"As for his spells, he's mastered quite a few, mostly advanced spells with a focus on fire and lightning elements. He also has one that lets him disperse into ash and escape. Regarding high-level spells, he's mastered two. One is Thunderous Inferno—a large-scale AOE attack. However, your defensive magic should be strong enough to block it."
"The other high-level spell is one I haven't seen him use, but I've heard him mention it once. It's called Blazing Fury, and from the name, it sounds like another fire-elemental spell."
Hearing all this, Dean Bruce raised an eyebrow.
He had few spells that could directly counter fire. Maybe he'd have to find a way to acquire or learn some ice or water elemental magic beforehand.
Those two elements were the only effective counters, capable of extinguishing fire.
Alita spoke softly, "As for contacting Cyb, that part's up to you."
"What do you expect me to say?" Dean Bruce shook his head. "First, get me the proof. Once I have it, I can approach him. Otherwise, he'll be the first to come after me."
...
Dean Bruce didn't respond, but his heart ached deeply.
His parents had been shuttled from one relic to another in just a few short years, living day and night in such desolate places—it must have been incredibly harsh.
Alita, noticing his expression, added, "For now, there's no need to worry about your parents' safety. As long as the ancient magic hasn't been fully deciphered, they're safe. Just help us eliminate Elvis, that traitor, first. Our entire organization will then lend its strength to help rescue your parents."
She was concerned Dean Bruce might abandon the plan to rush straight to the Tyrus Relics, jeopardizing everything.
Dean Bruce glanced at Alita Miller and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that impulsive."
Of course, he wasn't about to charge solo into a relic occupied by the Nine Provinces Alliance. Currently, Dean Bruce only had the power to hold his ground against an archmage.
Barging into a heavily guarded relic would be a fool's errand.
Even if he had a way to escape, it would still alert the enemy and spoil everything.
Once the details of their collaboration were settled, Alita didn't linger, her form once again merging with the surface of the water and vanishing without a trace.
Dean Bruce returned to his room and lay down for the night.
Knowing that his parents were safe, there was no need to rush. Focusing on gradual training and strengthening his own abilities was the wisest path forward.
The night passed uneventfully.
After having breakfast prepared by his servants, Dean Bruce left a few instructions for Nemesis, then readied himself to head to the Magic Guild.
Today, the Magic Guild looked surprisingly quiet, with almost no one near the entrance. It wasn't until he stepped inside that he noticed a crowd gathered in the main square.
In the middle of the crowd, Prolo Hawthorne stood like a king, even the elder in charge of keeping order unable to rein him in.
When Prolo spotted Dean Bruce, he immediately broke through the crowd and hurried over, greeting him with respect, "Teacher, you're here! Hehe, with you leading this time, I'm bound to gain a ton from this Secret Realm trip!"
Dean Bruce gave him a light smack on the head, saying, "You brat. Have you actually been studying magic seriously, or are you just here showing off?"
Nearby, several members of the Magic Guild watched the scene with a mixture of despair and disbelief.
They had hoped that someone might finally be able to put Prolo Hawthorne in his place. Little did they expect that Dean Bruce had actually become his mentor!
Now Prolo Hawthorne would only get more arrogant!
After all, Dean Bruce was the one whom even the vice president would plead with, and the guild's president had personally welcomed him.
Ignoring the group's varied reactions, Dean Bruce wasted no time. Following Prolo's respectful lead, he walked to where the crowd was gathered, scanning the assembled members before asking, "Is everyone with an assigned spot here?"