After saying those words, Roland took his leave.
He exited the room and, after leaving the inn, quickly made his way to a nearby alley, where a carriage was waiting for him.
The coachman respectfully opened the door for him.
Roland leaped up, took his seat, then looked toward Soren sitting across from him and spoke.
“No good, I didn’t even get a chance to state my terms before being rejected outright. I really am not suited for this kind of thing.”
Soren saw Roland’s dejected appearance and showed no particular reaction.
If Roland truly didn’t care, Soren wouldn’t have accompanied him on this trip.
The head of the Ophield Family lowered his head, and after a brief moment of thought, understood that those two ladies had every reason to be so confident.
But being confident and having true strength are still different things.
He was quite interested to see what would happen next.
Ronald might be a pushover, but his elder brother certainly wasn’t, or else he wouldn’t have managed to establish such a powerful foothold in White Stone City.
But what if… there was an unexpected twist?
Inside the inn’s room, with the sudden intruder gone, the previously interrupted conversation could finally resume.
The maid, wearing a mini skirt that revealed a pair of long legs clad in fine white stockings, her arms and chest also exposing a large area of smooth, fair skin—
This maid outfit was truly on the risqué side.
But Enya was a traditionalist.
She preferred to wear long skirts that covered everything properly; naturally, she felt nothing toward the maid in front of her.
Enya looked into the other’s eyes.
Although she’d concealed her pair of golden-red dragon eyes and showed no aura at all, everything about her suggested she was simply a knowledgeable, gentle older-sister type scholar with a Five-Tier Magic Core.
Yet the maid could still sense an inexplicable pressure from those pale golden eyes gazing at her, as if she were staring up at the sky.
So deep it was almost despairing.
This feeling made the maid very uncomfortable, especially since her own Magic Core was actually one Order of Magic higher than that of the gray-haired scholar before her.
Logically, she should be the one exerting pressure; why was she being suppressed instead? Was this woman simply hiding her true strength all along?
Though she didn’t want to admit it, the maid was no fool—at this point, it seemed the only explanation.
She narrowed her eyes, eager to test the depth of the woman before her, but her master’s orders were clear: she mustn’t offend this one…
The maid snorted inwardly but maintained a cold, indifferent look as she spoke.
“Baron Ronald Tang En may only be a Baron, but the power behind him is not something you outsiders can easily imagine.”
“He has an elder brother by blood, who cares for him deeply.”
“Originally, there were several forces in the commoner district of White Stone City, but over these ten years, they’ve all been swallowed up by a single person’s rise, leading to a unified gang.”
“And that person is Ronald’s elder brother, Eugene Dawn. His name alone in White Stone City is enough to stop children from crying, give boys and girls nightmares, and frighten drunkards sober.”
“Eugene Dawn himself is a Sixth Rank mage; even in all of White Stone City, he’s among the very best.”
“But he also has two more Sixth Rank subordinates, equally unfathomable, and beneath them are over ten Fifth-Tier mages, along with countless lower-tier cultivators flocking to their banner.”
“With a force like that, even the people from the Lord’s Manor in White Stone City must put on a smile when they meet.”
“At banquets, even the lord must rise to toast Eugene Dawn!”
The more she spoke, the more animated the maid became, laying bare all of Eugene Dawn’s secrets to Enya, down to some of his habits.
But her initial goal was to persuade Enya and her group to accept her master’s—the Madam Margaret’s—charity, to become one of the Madam’s favored girls.
The Madam would then shield them from danger.
Enya refused her outright, even briefly entertaining the idea of giving Madam Margaret a beating—luckily, she didn’t actually explode.
Since ancient times, it’s always been Enya who profits from others, never the other way around!
How dare they try to take advantage of her?
Madam Margaret, was it? Sooner or later, I’ll deal with you!
On the surface, Enya remained calm, sipping her tea as if she were listening to the maid’s story. In truth, her spiritual power had already spread out.
In her perception, the observers included both Fifth-Tier and Sixth Rank mages.
Such levels were the most common among humans, and even throughout the world.
To ordinary folk, these were powerful beings they dared not look at directly, yet in the grand scheme, they made up the majority—those truly untouchable… Enya let out a cold laugh.
Why did she always wear a mask? Because the higher the Order of Magic, the more blinding, like flames impossible to stare at.
At the Ninth Rank, one would be as the sun—without conscious restraint, just their presence would bring unimaginable destruction to everything nearby.
Though Enya was not that now, she had been.
If she didn’t keep her spiritual power strictly in check, even a slight leak would cause not just headaches, but madness and soul annihilation.
Sophia sat to the side, listening to the maid boast about Ronald and this Eugene’s supposed might, but she felt nothing at all.
Sixth Rank—was that supposed to be impressive?
A human with a Sixth Rank Magic Core… Was that the same Sixth Rank as in my understanding?
Sophia’s teacher, who was also Enya’s old acquaintance Eliv, was proof that becoming a Saintess required true strength of realm.
In other words, Eliv stood at the very peak of the Elves.
With such a mentor by her side, Sophia simply couldn’t imagine how strong a Sixth Rank human mage could possibly be.
Is my imagination just too limited?
Sophia frowned, trying hard to feel threatened, but her efforts seemed completely pointless.
After all, she still had a senior beside her whose depths were impossible to fathom!
Thinking of this, Sophia couldn’t help but let out a sly little giggle.
Enya rolled her eyes, glancing at Sophia, who was covering her mouth to hide her laugh. With a faint smile, Enya addressed the maid.
“No need. Go back and tell your master, I haven’t even met her in person, so I have no interest. I don’t care about those conditions either.”
Hearing this reply, the maid narrowed her eyes. In truth, ever since the first rejection, she’d known her original goal was impossible, so she switched to her backup plan:
Deliberately leaking information to win favor with the two women.
She’d said all there was to say, and there was no reason to linger.
The maid stood up, smoothed her skirt with both hands, and addressed Enya.
“In that case, I won’t disturb you any further.” “Mm.”
Enya replied with indifference.
Her nonchalant manner was infuriating—the maid’s once-bright peach blossom eyes had narrowed to slits.
At first glance, this woman appeared gentle and refined, but anyone who talked to her could sense that kind of arrogance that looked down on all others.
She’s driving me crazy!
The heavens may favor you, but you still dare refuse Madam’s good will!
With a trace of bitterness, the maid left.
After she was gone, Sophia looked to Enya, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
“Will anyone else come?”
Enya glanced back, smiled without a word, and rose to open the window.