"My name is Lancelot. I am an Apostle of Aether… wielder of the Arcana of Judgement."
Ciara and Jerry's eyes widened—the latter's own being more obvious—as the man introduced himself.
His warm smile and cool gaze made it even cooler, and none of them could deny the validity of his statement.
None except…
"Prove it."
… Ciara.
"Huh?"
"Prove you're an Apostle of Aether and stuff." She emphasized, still staring at the man with suspicious eyes.
Jerry, at this point, was completely flustered—no, more like worried.
"Don't mind my partner, Sir Lancelot. She simply means that it would be nice if there was something to prove your identity and stuff. Haha…"
Ciara didn't seem apologetic, so Jerry had to prevent consequences that could arise as result of her actions.
"Oh, that. I suppose you'd like to see my Arcana."
Instantly, a brilliant light engulfed the room, and within moments, a card appeared. It hovered atop Lancelot's open palm, and the object was filled with great power.
"A-amazing…"
The card was embroidered with amazing designs at the edges, and the image displayed at the center was that of an angelic being blowing a trumpet.
At this point, even the doubtful Ciara believed It.
"I'm impressed you were able to interfere with my Magic Barrier. As you we all know, it interferes with the mind, so even several powerful people who came here in the past were not able to leave."
Lancelot wanted to make certain that these young ones were aware of the feat they had accomplished.
"W-wha—? So, they died?"
Lancelot nodded his head and sat down gently. He didn't seem all too pleased about the deaths of his unfortunate victims, but it didn't appear as though he was remorseful either.
"They trespassed on my abode. They sought after my power. Surely, they knew the risks involved. It is within my rights to defend my property. Should they desire the power I offer, they simply had to work hard for it."
Unfortunately for the previous candidates, they had been too weak mentally.
Not only had their minds been completely affected by the barrier placed around the house—which caused everyone within it to fall under an illusion—but it didn't take long for their mental processes to be completely eroded by the long-term effects of such powerful Mind Magic.
"You two are the first to make it this far. For that, I am duly impressed."
Jerry and Ciara broke into smiles—the former being the most expressive. He had a thought he simply had to leak out.
"I didn't think it would work, but… Ciara was right. That kiss really was powerful enough to break through the illusion!"
Jerry's sudden declaration surprised Lancelot, almost as much as it embarrassed his partner. She would have said something if not that it would reveal her plan to him.
"A… kiss?" Lancelot asked in a curious tone.
"Yeah. To be honest, we were also trapped without being aware of anything. When we were stranded, Ciara recommended a kiss—since she had researched how it broke through in dangerous situations. I initially didn't want to, but—"
No one had to stop Jerry before he paused for a moment. He couldn't go any further, and his shivering gaze slowly went to the girl beside him.
She looked very innocent… and she was—at least to Jerry.
'Crap! How do I explain that I kissed her? I know it was just on the forehead, but…'
Ciara was sleeping when he'd performed the act. Wouldn't she consider him to be a pervert if he revealed his actions.
'I literally took advantage of her in that state!'
That was unforgivable for Jerry, but also very humiliating. It was better to swallow it all and not say anything.
"Hm? Well, I don't really understand what you're talking about…" Lancelot glanced in Ciara's direction for a while.
His eyes narrowed on her, and a smile formed on his face. The girl was personally a bit nervous, but nothing too scary.
"Well, not to waste any of our time, I would like to pick my successor now." Lancelot rose to his feet once more.
His charming appearance never seemed to become dull, in the slightest.
"O-okay…" Jerry muttered.
"Cool." Ciara responded in a calmer tone.
Before them was an object of indescribable power. Only one of them would reap the rewards.
"You need to be compatible enough for this power, so I'll be testing you in different rooms. Prepare yourselves."
With a snap of his fingers, one of the two vanished—creating two equally similar realities within the same building.
Like a broken mirror being able to reflect different things on the same surface, the division separated the two teenagers into separate spaces.
"Now that he's gone, we can talk freely… Ciara Epilson." Lancelot smiled, walking closer to the girl before him.
"What do you mean?"
"You already knew of the barrier the moment you entered. You were also keenly observing the nature of the ability, and you were also the one who broke out of the mind prison."
Ciara sighed once she heard these. Apparently, she wanted it to be a secret, but how could she expect to fool a master?
"Isn't it just okay to give Jerry the Arcana? I don't really need it, since I'm strong already." Her response contained absolute honesty. She really felt that way.
"Unfortunately, no. He has no affinity or ability to aid in the mastery of this Arcana. The opposite is true about you. I doubt there's anyone with enough affinity than you." Lancelot smiled softly.
"Why? Because of my Original Magic?"
The man burst into a slight chuckle, but also shook his head slightly.
"It's part of it, but not the complete story. Your Original Magic, and your affinity for this Arcana all boil down to the same thing."
This just made the girl more confused. Of course, she had always known she was special since her childhood—especially when Magic was involved, but… what did that have to do with the Arcana before her?
"Your surname, Epilson, do you not know it's origins? Perhaps I ought to inform you…" Lancelot's eyes seemed to grow brighter than ever.
"I am Lancelot Epilson, founder of the Epilson Lineage as well as your ancestor."
