Gabriel was ready to go with the Saint Knight. For him, it didn't matter if he took care of certain matters tomorrow or today. However, he didn't expect someone to interfere as soon as he was about to accept.
Not only did the person interfere, but he did so despite being a Dark Mage?
Gabriel looked at the man in the back, finally getting a clear view of the person.
The man was in his late forties. Despite only being in his forties, all his hair was already white. The man wasn't dressed lavishly, but his clothes looked very refined. Looking at the surprised reaction of the people around him, Gabriel could feel that this person didn't have an ordinary identity in the Empire.
It was clear that he wasn't the King, but his position wasn't low.
"Duke Callum?" The Saint Knight frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Duke?" Gabriel was even more surprised to see the identity of the person. Usually, Empires tended to stay away from Dark Mages, but in this Empire, one was already a Duke? That was the highest Noble position in this Empire after the Royal Family.
A Duke's position was more or less the same as the Saint Knight, but due to their Noble title, they were considered slightly higher in the hierarchy.
"I felt a strange aura and came to check," the middle-aged Duke calmly stated.
"How long have you been here?" The Saint Knight asked, wondering if this guy heard Gabriel's story.
It wasn't hidden from anyone that amongst all the Dukes, Callum was the only one who was in conflict with the Royal Family. Moreover, for some strange reason, the Royal Family never dared to act against him either.
It was as if a status quo was established. Duke Callum couldn't hurt the Royals, and the Royals couldn't hurt him. The Royal Family more or less just ignored Duke Callum and let him do his things as long as it didn't interfere with the Empire's workings.
"For a long time," Duke Callum stated calmly. "I heard what the young man was saying. And I am more inclined to believe his words at this point. He already showed quite a lot of evidence after all."
"Duke Callum, it's not for you to decide if it's the truth or not. We'll take him back to the Castle and call a meeting of all the Dukes and Ministers to decide on the matter. I hope you won't interfere in this matter for now. You'll get your time."
Saint Knight was already frustrated that Avilia didn't allow him to kill Gabriel when he had an opportunity. If she hadn't stopped him, things would've been solved at the start, and this story wouldn't be out.
Just as he thought of a new way to solve this problem, another person arrived, interfering in the matter? And that person was a first-tier noble as well.
"I'm sure we can solve this matter in the meeting of Ministers and Dukes. However, until then, I don't feel safe sending this young man with you. Since he's a potential heir to the throne, what if he is killed in the Castle, and you later make up a story that he ran away?" Callum asked, slightly revealing a grin. "It won't be the first time you'd have killed someone from the Arecia Clan."
"You!" Saint Knight Alberton's face twitched uncontrollably. This guy... He was intentionally doing it! Was he trying to break the status quo by placing a new person on the throne?
"Since this guy is here for the throne, I'm sure he won't run away. I can keep him in my castle. When all the Dukes have gathered, I can bring him, and the final decision can be taken. What do you think? There's no reason to take him to the Castle since everything will be decided in the meeting of Dukes, isn't that right?"
Callum had the Saint Knight in his palms. In a situation like this, even the Saint Knight couldn't do anything. He just couldn't attack a Duke out of nowhere, especially since he didn't suggest anything wrong. In people's eyes, the Duke was only being fair and worried about the safety of the young man before the Dukes could gather.
At this point, even the Saint Knight knew that his option was to take Gabriel forcefully, but that was detrimental to his cause. If he did that, not only did he have to fight the Duke, but he also couldn't kill Gabriel and act innocent later on.
"Fine. He's your responsibility. But if you fail to bring him to the meeting of the Dukes or let him escape, you'll be the one getting punished. I hope you know what you're doing..."
Even though the words of the Saint Knight were ordinary, Gabriel could sense the hidden threat he was issuing through those words.
After issuing the threat, the Saint Knight commanded everyone to go back to their work. He also instructed them to not share what happened there with anyone. However, even he knew that no one was going to listen to him. It was impossible to hide what happened here unless he killed every person there.
"Lady Avilia, please come with me." The Saint Knight walked back to Avilia, who was here as their guest. Even at a time like this, he couldn't abandon her or be disrespectful. If he did, he knew it was similar to putting oil on the fire.
The Holy Priestess of Summoning glanced at Gabriel and the Duke one last time before she followed the Saint Knight and left.
The Saint Knight also brought Princess Azia back with him since he didn't want to leave her behind at times like this.
"Are you alright?" Duke Callum asked Gabriel.
"I am fine. Thank you for the help."
Despite knowing that their person was a Dark Mage, Gabriel didn't reveal that he already knew about it. He was sure that the Duke didn't approach him for no reason. There was something he wanted from him. As for what that was, he let time decide. He just kept his guard up.
"Let's go back to my Palace. You should be safe there." The Duke escorted Gabriel with him.
"When will this meeting of Dukes be held?" Gabriel asked, walking next to the Dark Mage.
"Since it's an important matter, it should be held tomorrow," Callum answered. "It will be attended by the Dukes, the Emperor, the Ministers, and quite a few influential people of the Empire."
"Tomorrow... That is definitely fast," Gabriel nodded.
After a few moments of silence, Gabriel again spoke. "By the way, may I ask why you helped me? What do you hope to achieve."
