Price of a Life

Hallow is one of the ruling families of the Walled City much similar to my own family, but that is where the similarity ends, unfortunately.

Unlike my family, which is barely holding onto power, the Hallow family is one of the strongest families if not the strongest within the Walled City. It is safe to say that they are only second in term of strength and influence in contrast to the Lording Family itself.

There was actually a time that the Hallow family ruled over the entire Walled City. Even if they are no longer the Lording Family, they still control much of the city, meaning they have eyes and ears pretty much everywhere.

And that is a concern. Enough for me to lower my finger slightly, but only slightly.

I almost forgot who I am. Who I truly am, and as such, why would I need to fear something like a shitty emblem resembling some sort of powers. Real powers lie within, and besides, what happens here will remains here, one way or another.

"And I am Kilian Grey. It is nice to meet you, Ingrain Hallow," I response and activate the spell verbally without any hesitation. "Mana Drain."

"Seventh Master!" the guards call out in fear, as the repercussion is unimaginable. "You must not harm him no matter what! He is a Hallow!"

The girls are the same – far more frightened than the power I have demonstrated, and this is the sort of power that I had enjoyed previously before the new timeline. I would like to have that kind of power once more.

And luckily for Ingrain and the others, the spell fails due to the rate of success. It is not empowered by Tier Magic. As such, the rate of success is very low. Even if successful, the spell will not be as devasting as before. Still, it has served its purpose.

"Oops," I comment, causing everyone to sweat dropped.

I lower my finger afterwards and form a small smile. "You should have said that you are a Hallow from the start, as our family were once allies. We would love to become allies once more, but I suppose the time has changed."

The abrupt change in my mannerism bewilders everyone, especially Ingrain Hallow. Despite being able to resist the effect of Mana Drain spell, he still feels its effect. And the sight of his fellow friends of sort tells him what could have been.

And the sight is removed from the room through my Inventory, making everyone flinch. They have no idea how I was able to do that, as they felt no magical residue or signature whatsoever.

In fact, they can barely sense the magical energy from the Mana Drain spell, and it is simply due to my proficiency in the art of Magic. While I lack the power and mana to cast powerful spells, I do not lack the experiences, especially for spells that I have used frequently.

Mana Drain is one of the best spells to deal with Mages and the likes. Without their mana, they cannot cast magic. A better spell would be Mana Burst, which is more like a Death Spell than anything.

"Anyway, what is your life worth, Ingrain Hallow?" I question, as I begin to work on a new spell. A Spell that will keep whatever happen within the room a secret even in death.