In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
March 15.
At the Mage Headquarters.
In one week, this place had been completely transformed from its former identity as the Mageseeker headquarters. Everything related to the Mageseekers had been cleared out during this time, leaving not even the slightest trace of its previous appearance.
Inside a room in the Magic Engraving Office, Luke sat at a table. Across from him, Emmaline had her eyes closed, her hand resting on top of his.
After a while, Emmaline opened her eyes and said, "There has been no change in the two demonic powers inside Your Highness's body. As for the third power you asked me to sense, it seems relatively stable to me. It's just that there is an invisible barrier around it, and it gives off a very dangerous feeling. My instincts warned me not to get too close."
Hearing this, Luke nodded. "All right. Thank you for your trouble."
"No, it's fine."
Emmaline smiled.
Very soon, Luke left the room and walked down the hall, thinking to himself.
The two demonic powers were not much different from before, which meant that as long as he did not use them, their influence on him was practically negligible.
The problem lay with the power of that rune fragment.
Emmaline's talent in this area was already very high, and the answer she had given was also quite clear.
The rune fragment had a protective mechanism. It was probably not something one could easily peer into.
Nearly a week had passed, and it had been sleeping quietly inside Luke's body the entire time, showing no signs of waking.
Basically, it also had no effect on him.
But for now, this was all Luke could do. He could only slowly see whether he could find some other method.
He passed through the corridor, encountering quite a few mages along the way. Some looked rather busy, hurrying along with quick footsteps.
Others walked side by side, moving slowly as they spoke with one another.
These were all people the mage department had recruited over the past week. Among them were mages and ordinary people alike, assigned to different departments to carry out different work.
For example, some researched magic, some researched scrolls and patterns, while others were responsible for crafting magic items, researching magic items, or going out to carry out missions.
In short, there were quite a few departments. After a week of adjustment and accumulation, things had already begun to take shape, showing the presence of a large organization.
The rank and title system of the mage department had also been adjusted. Aside from Sona and Lux as the two ministers, Frey served as deputy minister.
Below her were the heads of each department, each managing different matters, all of which ultimately reported to Frey.
It could be said that over this past week, Frey, the newly appointed deputy minister, had been even busier than the two ministers.
In this regard, Sona could at least provide some help. At the very least, she could rely on her talent to help examine those who wanted to join the department.
As for a certain little blonde, she was completely a mascot.
She just hung around there, did nothing all day, and wandered wherever she liked.
The main reason was that the two of them knew basically nothing about management, and their minds were not on it either. They had been appointed in a time of crisis.
Their main responsibility was still external influence. After all, both of them were extremely well known.
Fortunately, Frey was there. This demon hunter from the Freljord had always lived without any fixed place.
After coming to Demacia with her apprentice Vayne and meeting Luke and the others, she had unknowingly grown fond of this country as well.
Her personality was steady, her knowledge was not lacking, her character was good enough, and most importantly, she was very capable.
Luke had always respected this demon hunter quite a bit, so he had recommended her for the position.
And Frey had indeed shown considerable talent in management. During this period, she had basically been in charge of matters large and small. She responded well to changes and handled things properly. It could be said that she was extremely suited for this position.
As for the people from the previous mage camp, the outstanding ones such as Julie, Emmaline, and Klan had all been assigned to the mage department.
With the joint efforts of these people, the current thriving Mage Headquarters had been created.
Luke continued forward and eventually arrived at Frey's office. He pushed the door open and walked in.
"Did you call me over for something?"
"Your Highness."
After seeing that it was Luke, Frey put down the work in her hands, stood up, and said, "I asked you to come because most of what the mage department needed to handle recently is almost finished. The matter you mentioned to me before, I think we can start moving forward with it."
"That matter?"
Luke thought for a moment, then realized. "You mean the demonic power?"
"Yes."
Frey nodded. "I've already started making preparations for it recently. There is a great deal of room for research when it comes to demonic power. Especially with these higher demons. Vayne and the others recently ran into trouble while pursuing Evelynn. Even though that demon is wounded, and even while affected by constant pursuit, she is still slowly recovering her power."
"I understand what you mean. The sooner we study demonic power, the sooner we may be able to provide help to them."
Luke nodded. He had also read the recent letters Vayne sent back.
The mission to pursue Evelynn was not easy. There had been trouble upon trouble along the way. The other party had left Demacia's territory and gone beyond the border, where she could maneuver more freely.
The two sides had been locked in a stalemate, and it looked like there would be no breakthrough in the short term.
Now, perhaps they could provide some help from this side.
The demon Nocturne sealed inside the little black dog was a ready-made research subject. He was a demon of the same level as Evelynn.
If they could discover something from Nocturne, then perhaps they could help Vayne and the others.
Just as Frey had said, demonic power had far too much research value.
After thinking for a moment, Luke said, "This matter can begin at any time. After I go back, I'll have the little black dog sent over to you. If you need any help during the research, just say so."
"Mm."
Frey nodded.
"Just be extra careful during the research. There's no need to worry about money or manpower."
Before leaving, Luke gave one more reminder.
After all, demonic power was not something good. If they went too far in their research, it might instead cause something bad.
However, Luke believed Frey had a sense of proportion. Her research into demons was not something she had only done for a year or two.
This woman had invested almost half her life into these things.
After leaving Frey's office, Luke had nothing else to do at the mage department. Sona and Lux were not here right now.
Sona had now begun a nationwide tour. Her current mission was to hold concerts in different places and promote the mage department while she was at it.
Accompanying her were Kahina and her mother.
As for Lux, she had basically nothing to handle at the mage department to begin with. Naturally, she showed up when she felt like it and slacked off whenever she could. When she had nothing to do, she would continue going to the Church of the Illuminators.
Sitting in the carriage as it traveled down the street, Luke lifted the curtain and looked outside.
In a week's time, the capital had already returned to the same peace as before. The houses damaged by the rebellion had already been repaired.
The streets were still crowded and lively. However, unlike before, one could now occasionally see people carrying staffs on their backs or wearing mage robes walking down the street.
Aside from them, even more mages looked no different from ordinary people.
Some of them still relied on their own hands to labor, while others were willing to use their talents to contribute to Demacia.
Now, the decree pardoning mages had already spread throughout all of Demacia.
And because of the rebellion in the capital, the entire nation had begun a great purge at lightning speed.
One parasite after another was cleaned out. The citizens responded to the call, and the whole nation stood united.
After some time, the carriage slowly stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.
Luke got out of the carriage and immediately saw Lux sitting on the swing in the courtyard, flying very high. Her blond hair fluttered in the wind, and her two little legs swung back and forth as she played with great delight.
Luke had only built this swing two days ago. There was a large tree in the courtyard that had grown for many years, and the branches extending from it were thick and sturdy. Luke had thought it looked rather good, so he found two strong ropes and made a swing.
After seeing Luke return, Lux slowed down, and the swaying swing eventually stopped. She leapt down from it. After landing steadily on the ground, her bright, sparkling eyes looked at Luke. "Where did you go?"
Luke casually replied, "I went to the mage department."
Lux froze slightly. "The mage department? Why didn't you tell me? What did you go there for?"
Luke chuckled. "You're a minister in name only. What use would telling you be?"
"I can choose not to listen, but you can't choose not to say it! As a minister, I have the right to know. What could possibly go around me? Hurry up and tell me!"
Lux put on a stern little face.
She had not done much actual work, but she had learned the manner of an official quite well.
Luke casually said, "I discussed researching demonic power with Frey. We're preparing to start doing that recently."
As soon as he finished speaking, the little black dog lying by the courtyard gate suddenly trembled all over and had a bad feeling.
When you say researching demons, you don't mean researching me, right?
"Oh."
Lux nodded and waved her little hand. "You don't need to report this matter to me in the future. You can decide for yourselves."
"Keep putting on airs and your head's going to suffer."
Luke glanced at her and unexpectedly flicked her forehead.
Although Lux reacted, she was still hit squarely in the forehead. She immediately clutched it in pain, then widened her eyes and stared at Luke. "As the dignified Summoner of the Colossus, Mage of Light, Minister of the Mage Department, and priestess of the Illuminators, can't I put on a few airs?"
She listed off a string of titles, remembering every single word.
Incidentally, this girl had also recently been promoted among the Illuminators, becoming a priestess.
As for titles like Summoner of the Colossus and Mage of Light, those were not self-proclaimed either. They were real titles the people had given her.
At the time, this girl had been extremely smug about it.
Whenever she had nothing to do, she liked to stroll around the streets for a couple of laps, happily listening to people quietly discussing her and secretly feeling delighted.
This was Miss Crownguard's recent hobby. As the Mage of Light who had summoned the colossus, her popularity was also constantly soaring. She was practically known by everyone.
And this had brought her an enormous sense of vanity.
In other words, this girl had been getting more and more full of herself recently!
Lux threatened fiercely, "I'm warning you, I can call in backup now. If you mess with me again, I'll make sure you learn what the fist of justice feels like."
She very much looked as if she would summon the colossus at the first disagreement.
Naturally, Luke would not back down to this little blonde. Hearing this, he chuckled. "Justice lives in people's hearts. Acting so tyrannical, bullying others with your power, and borrowing another's might to throw your weight around, Aunt Augatha definitely wouldn't tolerate you if she saw it. Surely the current you wouldn't even dare look down on her, right?"
Lux, who was currently being extremely arrogant, immediately lifted her chin and looked at him down her nose. "She's just a mother tiger. You don't actually think I'm afraid of her, do you?"
Hearing this, Luke applauded in admiration and looked behind Lux. "Auntie, you heard that. That's what she said."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lux's body stiffened, and her expression froze on her face. Then, moving stiffly like a wooden puppet, she carefully turned around.
And saw that there was nothing behind her.
While letting out a sigh of relief, she immediately realized that Luke, this awful jerk, had deliberately scared her.
Thinking about it, that made sense. Why would her mother come over here for no reason?
Luke sighed and shook his head regretfully. "What a pity Auntie isn't here. Otherwise, she would've heard what you said."
At this moment, the arrogant smile that had disappeared from Lux's face curled back up again. She turned around and snorted coldly. "So what if she were here? If she were standing right in front of me right now, I would make sure she learned exactly how to write the words, fall in line or get crushed."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly saw Luke's gaze turn subtle.
Behind her, a chill suddenly surged. Her heart instantly began pounding uncontrollably.
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Lux's forehead. She swallowed, and this time, she did not even have the courage to turn around.
Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder. Lux's delicate body trembled, and Augatha's voice sounded beside her ear. "Is that so, Miss Crownguard? I'd really like to know how those words are written."
In an instant, Lux seemed to lose her soul. Even her eyes became hollow.
As she was dragged toward the house by the great Lady Augatha, she looked at Luke with a gaze full of despair and fury.
She had already understood that everything just now had been a trap this jerk had set for her!
She had forgotten that Augatha had one skill, and that was walking silently!
"Awoo!"
As a loud wail rang out from the main house, Luke happily sat down on the swing and slowly began swaying.
His mood could be described as extremely wonderful.
Twenty minutes later, Augatha walked out while patting her hands, looking refreshed as if she had vented her anger. Even her face seemed much brighter.
To be honest, she had endured this unruly girl for quite some time recently. Ever since this girl rendered great service, she had acted as if she had obtained an immunity medal and had been strutting around arrogantly.
Augatha had endured again and again. Today, she finally had a chance to let out that breath.
She glanced at Luke and left him a message. "Your aunt has returned. She's probably reporting at the palace right now, and she should come back in a while."
Hearing this, Luke immediately nodded. "I understand."
After Augatha left the courtyard, Luke also stood up and went to the living room.
At this moment, Miss Crownguard was lying on the sofa with a numb expression, her face ashen. Her whole body looked as if it had burned out, and she did not move at all.
Seeing this, Luke could not help clicking his tongue. He said to Poppy, who had run over to watch the show, "See that? This is what happens when a person gets too arrogant. Good kids shouldn't learn from her."
Poppy obediently nodded, looking at Lux with no small amount of sympathy.
At least after this, Miss Crownguard had learned how to write the words, fall in line or get crushed.
Augatha had taught her one slap at a time.
At the same time, she had also understood the principle that one must not be too arrogant.
And also, Luke, you damned jerk, I will never forgive you!
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