Chapter 143 Visitors

She looked at Cygnus once again and she saw him smirked so she avoided his gaze. When she took a second look, the man's expression returned to that of confusion. The smug look on his face as if mocking her disappeared.

He was playing with her. Her eyes widened and her fists clenched when she realized that the man was pretending. It was impossible for him to suddenly become an aristocrat and even enter the magic tower.

"Stop pretending!" She suddenly shouted as she took a step towards the man.

Cygnus took a step back when he saw how aggressive the woman was as she walked towards him. Astro did not hesitate to block the woman after he sensed the killing intent coming from her. He was sure that the woman intended to harm his master and he couldn't let that happen.

"Arean!" Ragus's voice boomed and echoed inside the room. Arean stiffened as she gritted her teeth and stared at Cygnus with pure hatred.

She turned around and looked at Ragus, "Master! Do you not believe me? That man," she looked back and pointed at Cygnus who was standing behind Astro, "claimed that he was Ezio's guardian!" She repeated but this only made her master sigh.

"How can that happen when all his life, he had been sheltered by the duke. He was just recently introduced to the world so how can he be at Moonvale? His identity was also proven by Archmage Sigma." Ragus patiently explained to his stubborn disciple.

Ever since they came back from that mission, his disciple had been constantly suspicious of everything. She had been saying incoherent things too and because she was his disciple, he tried to help but the woman refused. She continuously insisted that there was nothing wrong with her and everything she was saying was true.

"I will not believe that lie! Why don't we call Ezio here, even Meliore and Alastor, they'll prove that I am not lying!" She was not giving up.

There was something definitely wrong with the man. He must have hypnotized the duke to make him believe that he was his son. She needed to do something because she can't let the man ruin her life.

She was already having a difficult time after that mission and she was slowly moving on and then he suddenly appeared. They were already branding her as a crazy witch so she can't let some man utterly destroy her reputation. Arean looked at Cygnus again only to see him giving her a smug look.

"Arean enough of this. You are just embarrassing yourself and me by what you are doing," the mage held his disciple's shoulders and looked her in the eye.

Ragus was already at his wit's end because of his disciple's actions. His grip on her shoulders unconsciously tightened because he wanted the woman to stop. He did not want to raise his voice and embarrass Arean again.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Arean looked at his master in disbelief.

Ragus was silent which only made Arean disappointed. She took a step back and shook her head. 'Her master doesn't believe her.' These thoughts continued to repeat itself inside her thoughts.

"It's not that I don't believe you, rather it is a bit difficult to believe what you are saying right now," Ragus looked at her with concern.

She took another step back with her eyes wide open and her mouth trembling. Arean couldn't believe that even her master did not believe what she said. She was so shocked that she couldn't utter a word before she walked past her master and the two guests with him.

Ragus did not go after her. It would be of naught if he went and tried to comfort her. He faced his guests and looked at them with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I apologize for that. Ever since she returned from a certain mission, she had been like that," he explained.

"It's fine. She must have experienced something during the mission that's why she was acting like that," Cygnus nodded as he gave the mage a small smile.

Instead of staying in the training room, Ragus led them to his study where he served them some tea. He sat down and joined them.

"I didn't expect that you would really come here. What did the duke say? I heard that he was furious when Elder Celes went to visit you at the Ginehart Manor," the mage asked after he sat down.

"Actually, my father doesn't know that I joined the tower," the master replied. "They left a few days ago so I took that chance to get in contact with Elder Celes."

Ragus was a bit shocked at what he heard. He didn't think that he would be so daring and defy his father. He looked so frail and he was told that the young man has a soft personality, very amiable and easy to get along with.

"How about your brother?" The mage asked again. He was sure that even the major hated the tower.

"Oh, he could only frown and let me go but I'm sure that if something happens to me, he'll come barging in even if the odds are against him," Cygnus casually answered followed by a light laugh.

The mage didn't know if the young man was threatening the tower or if he was just saying what's on his mind. He couldn't figure it out because the man looked too innocent to be threatening someone. Although he heard that he had cut off the arm of one of his cousins, it was not an enough basis to judge him as a scheming person.

"I will not doubt that," Ragus agreed.

Members of the direct line from that family were gifted with wit and physical strength that can't be compared to the others. It wouldn't be a surprise if the duke would be knocking on their door once he discovered that his son was in the tower.

That night as the shadows danced through the dimly lit hallways. Something was slithering through the crevices of the corners. It slowly entered the room where Cygnus was staying and it slowly formed into the shape of a human being. It stood there and waited for the master to acknowledge its presence.

"You are too early," Cygnus said from where he was lying down.

"I am only here to check up on you master," a guttural and deep voice came from the thing. "We've been waiting for your orders and I am getting a little bit impatient." It tried to laugh but it only came out as a gritty rumble.

"As they all say, patience is a virtue. Go back and quietly wait for my orders and guard my bakeshop properly," the master answered.

The thing slowly turned into a puddle again and slowly slithered away. The room returned to its original silence after the visit. Before he could go back to sleep, another silhouette appeared which blended with the shadows.

"Why are you going through all these troubles just to destroy this place? Why don't you just smash it once and for all?" The voice rang inside the room.

Cygnus sighed, "Why can't anyone know how to let me sleep?" He sat up from his bed and looked at the direction where the voice came from.

The golden eyes stared at him and he could see even through the darkness that the man was smirking at him. He knew that the man was already bored so he suddenly appeared once again. Before Cygnus could even send him away, the door connecting the master and his aide's room opened.

"Master, are you alright? I felt an evil presence inside the room," he was in a haste but he still remained calm.

His eyes immediately swept through the room until he came eye to eye with those golden pupils. He gasped and all his calm façade broke down because he realized that those eyes were like that of a snake's. He paled at the realization that he was not facing a man.