Man in red

Everyone was surprised and excited at this royal knights sight. In this grand empire, living in the city that's so far away from the bustling capital, they had only heard stories about them, the stories about the seven thrones, and right now, these stories were coming to life before their very eyes. It was a surreal moment. The disbelief hung heavy in the air, and they couldn't believe their eyes.

Uncaring to the people's reaction, Unmoved by the onlookers' reactions, Leon remained focused, his gaze scanning the surroundings with an intensity that seemed to pierce through barriers of flesh and stone. In a fleeting moment, a glimmer of brown light flickered within his eyes, a manifestation of his heightened senses, before vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

With a deliberate calmness, he unleashed his earth magic, his consciousness expanding to encompass the vast expanse of the surrounding area. Every detail, every disturbance in the mana, was laid bare before his keen senses. And then, like a hunter honing in on its prey, his sharp gaze zeroed in on a specific spot—the very place where the wyvern had met its end, leaving naught but a sprinkle of ice in its wake.

A hushed exclamation escaped Leon's lips as he discerned the lingering disturbance of mana at that spot. Whispering to himself, he acknowledged, "Not good!"

A knight approached, delivering the news, "Sir, he is here—the captain of the city guards."

The captain, recognizing the gravity of the moment, stepped forth and executed a deep, reverential bow. There was a palpable urgency in the air, so getting the cue, he wasted no time and, following the order by the knight, swiftly recounted the harrowing events that had unfolded in the city.

"The Wyvern, it went berserk without warning, causing chaos in the heart of the city. Reinforcements were called, and our initial plea received a swift response. However, as time elapsed, our backup failed to materialize. Tragically, hundreds of lives were lost due to this... lack of responsibility."

A pause hung in the air, the captain realizing the weight of his words. He had just branded the throne as irresponsible. Fear seized him, and he began stammering, attempting to salvage the situation. "I-I apologize, Your Grace. I didn't mean to—"

Leon cut him off with a calm yet commanding tone, "There was an issue with the dimensional gate, causing the delay. That's precisely why I'm here myself. Now, proceed with your report."

The captain gulped audibly, wiping sweat from his brow, cognizant of how narrowly he had dodged death. Composing himself, he continued, "After the wyvern went berserk, we expected the hunters to aid the citizens, but no one came forward—they all hid. So evacuating to the city's edge was our only option, but the wyvern pursued there as well, setting everything ablaze once again. Then, a miraculous transformation occurred— ice replaced the raging flames over the buildings.Then, as if summoned by fate itself, a mage cloaked in red and masked in white emerged from the ether and faced the wyvern by himself. We thought him to be a fool but then..."

The captain hesitated, sensing the weight of his own revelation. Under the unwavering gaze of Leon, he finally admitted, "But then a pillar of ice appeared out of nowhere freezing the beast still, and then he killed it. That man actually slain the wyvren by himself."

"I could only catch glimpses of the battle, but I was there when he slew the wyvern." Captain spoke in reverence as he recall the miraculous memories.

The word 'killed' resonated, a revelation that sparked surprise in Leon's mind. His intense stare bore into the captain, snapping him from his trance; transforming him into a veritable bucket of nerves under the weight of the his scrutiny.

Slaying the wyvern was no small feat by any means. As the descendants of the mighty dragons, wyverns stood as the formidable apex predators even within the death forest. Given that dragons had not graced the world for centuries, wyverns held the mantle of the most terrifying beasts of the present era. Facing such a creature demanded a high-tier radiant silver mage at the very least, and even then, only a white core mage could hope to take it down without succumbing to severe wounds.

The captain's nonchalant depiction of the wyvern's demise raised a proverbial eyebrow in Leon's mind. Killing such a creature should have been a monumental task, not an endeavor undertaken lightly. This was a matter that he couldn't disregard lightly.

Sensing the unspoken doubt, the captain swiftly attempted to clarify, "I'm not lying, sir. I speak the truth. He wore a full red cloak, and his facial features were concealed behind a stark white mask, shrouding his identity. Unfortunately, no one had the chance to see his face. However, one of the hunters managed to capture moments of their intense battle within his magic scroll."

Eager to substantiate his claims, the captain promptly retrieved a scroll from his dimensional ring and handed it over to Leon. The weight of the unfolding mystery lingered in the air as the Brown Throne prepared to delve into the captured moments that might unveil the secrets of the masked mage's extraordinary feat.

A subtle wave of Leon's hand prompted the swift removal of the captain for further questioning by one of his knights. Meanwhile, Leon cast a discerning glance at the scroll, contemplating its potential revelations, and began to make his way toward the city guards' building.

Once inside, Leon took a seat in the captain's office, placing the mysterious scroll on the table. Anticipation and curiosity danced in his eyes as he prepared to delve into the secrets hidden within.

"Let's see what this red-cloaked man has to show," he murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the scroll. With practiced finesse, he channeled mana into the intricate parchment, initiating the process of unraveling the recorded moments. Yet, before the arcane imagery could unfold, his senses warned him of a sudden danger.

In a testament to his reflexes, Leon seized an incoming spear by its shaft, halting its deadly trajectory just inches away from his center of his brows. The air crackled with tension as Leon's eyes moved towards the window.