Are you from the royal family

"I'm bored."

So I mutter to myself while staring at the metal ceiling of the room I was held in. It's been about 5 minutes since Leroy exited the room so I couldn't help but feel a bit inattentive. Luckily for me, the ceiling of this place is quite high so I have plenty of wall to look at.

I wonder when they're coming back.

I don't think it'll be anytime soon since they have their hands full right now. I can sense someone using healing magic from the room beside us, it seems like their guest is injured.

Oh well, looks like I'll just have to wait.

But Leroy, that bastard...

Did he really have to assault me? Was he that jealous of the fact Estelle has been following me?

Well I should probably find a way to pay him back later. In fact I do have a spell in mind that I would like to try.

Whilst imaging the type of pain Leroy would be in later, I suddenly started sensing tremendous amounts of magic energy approaching the underground base from a few hundred meters away.

Demonic energy?

Why are they here?

Just then, I could hear the master shouting from the opposing room.

"Pull yourself together miss Agatha!"

Since the walls are pretty thin here I could hear the master's shout loud and clear.

But that name. Agatha? Where have I heard that before?

A few moments pass and a lightbulb finally appeared above my head.

Ahhh. It was that.

A few days back I remember Elaine being extremely furious that one of her subordinates was injured during an expedition. She said it was one of the newer demons she recently recruited so she was insanely angry since she hates when other people touches her things.

Well I didn't manage to listen to the full story but I remember the name of the perpetrator was Agatha, was it not?

So these guys are the ones that attacked one of our own?

[Crack!]

I immediately got up after breaking the chains that were binding me.

"Looks like I have another reason to crash this place."

So I said, with a huge smirk on my face.

I nonchalantly marched out of the room and headed towards entrance of the opposite room.

Just then, Leroy comes running out at full speed. It seems he has been given a task by his master, possibly to set up the traps before the others arrive.

"Yo."

I said with a big grin on my face while saluting him with two fingers.

He stops, stunned at the fact that I'm here.

"How...How are you here!"

He takes a step back and begins to be cautious of me.

At least he has some common sense. Through be told, I half-expected him to charge at me the moment our eyes met.

"The chains...the hypnosis..."

"How the hell did you get out?!"

At that moment, the door to the opposite room opened and Leroy's master exited. Hearing all that commotion it was natural for him to check on his disciple. Behind the opened door I lock eyes with the lady who was sitting on the bed.

"You are...that noble?"

"How the hell did you get out?"

The master's voice goes cold and grim as he directs his sharp gaze towards me.

"Ah that thing?"

"You should really use better materials to cuff your prisoners."

The master raises his hand and tries to use some sort of control magic on me.

"That won't work. I don't have that worm thing inside me."

He looks stunned. His eyebrows narrow and he tightens his gaze.

"Who are you?"

"Did the royal family send you or were you hired by someone else?"

Royal family? He must think I'm a part of the inquisitors or something.

"Royal family? That's impossible! This guy is nothing but a deadbe..."

"Shut up!"

Before Leroy could finish his sentence his mentor cut him off and gave him a death stare.

"I'll deal with you later."

Shortly after, he directs his gaze towards me and I could feel mana being gathered towards him.

"I'm not of the royal family nor am I a hired mercenary."

"Then why?"

The master releases his aura and the entire area's atmosphere turns dull. He reaches into his robe and takes out what looks like a short stick. After shaking it once, the stick grows 1.5 meters in length and into a wooden staff. It looks to be around middle first grade, quite the weapon I must say.

Objects like swords or armor that are imbued with mana area known as artifacts. They have great mana conductivity and are highly sought after by every mage. This is because there are only two known ways to receive an artifact. The first way is from an artifact refiner.

They are mages capable of constructing and implementing mana conductivity onto a product. Needless to say there aren't many of them so their paycheck is quite high.

Fun fact, I'm also an artifact refiner.

The second way however, is to have nature bless the item. Artifacts that are created by this method tend to have a higher grade than those made by artifact refiners. There's just one problem, they're insanely rare to find. So rare that even nations may only possess one or two of them.

Within artifacts, there are a total of six grades. The first grade is ungraded. And just like the name suggests, consists of artifacts of the lowest grade, so low in fact that they don't deserved to be ranked.

These artifacts are the lowest of the low, containing the least amount of mana conductivity inside them. Some examples of such artifacts are the cooler box with is used for keeping chilled food and the mana kettle.

Above it are the grades of graded and first grade. Both of these ranks have sub-ranks within them which are lower, middle and upper. Most regular mages have artifacts around these two grades.

For reference in power, the artifact Estelle used a week back was a middle class graded artifact. And the master over here has a middle first grade weapon.

Above first grade is the unique grade. It contains two sub-ranks, lower and upper. There isn't any middle grade because the power disparity between unique grade artifacts are said to be vastly different from one another.

High ranking mages who have attained the rank of master usually have weapons like these.

Above this grade is the legendary grade which contains sub-ranks of unlayered and layered. Currently no one in the Corsair kingdom possesses an artifact of this rank. Based on what I've read and reports I've heard, it seems between all surrounding nations, only one has a legendary artifact, the Aria empire.

Within the entire continent, only the Aria empire which contains the strongest military force and largest land in the whole of the Aias continent possesses a legendary artifact.

Legendary artifacts are said to be equivalent to a grandmaster mage in terms of value so I can roughly guess the strength of them.

The four pillars would also need such weapons for the establishment ritual. I think it should be around an unlayered legendary artifact's level. Thus, I'm actively searching for materials that might be needed to craft artifact for the four pillars.

But back on track.

The only thing above legendary is the mythical grade which is a standalone grade. No nation on the Aias continent possesses one at the moment. Although I did hear the main continent, Treachea has a few empires that have one. I wonder how strong it is.

If a legendary artifact has the same value as a grandmaster mage, then a mythical should have the same value of an archmage, or maybe even higher...

But that's a thought for another time.

Currently I'm still in a stand off against the master who is now readying his stance.

"Black bolt!"

He points the staff towards me and moments later a beam of black lightning blasts forth.

That casting was quite fast, it's no wonder he's a first rate mage.

I stopped his attacks with one hand.

Through the thin layer of smoke I could faintly see the master's shocked face.

"Let's finish this up before they get here."