266 Flames of Betrayal

Marius knew well that repercussions awaited. William would eventually realize he’d been deceived, and he’d undoubtedly react with rage. Perhaps he’d even plot to kill Marius. Yet for a man nearing the end of his own lifespan, William’s anger was trivial compared to seeing his lifelong ambition realized at last.

I only need to set this in motion once. No matter how reluctant William might be initially, he’ll soon recognize its value. Once it’s firmly established, dismantling it will become impossible. He’ll have no choice but to elevate future mages—to ensure his own survival, if nothing else.

“Old man, you seem awfully pleased. Having a nice dream?”

Marius jolted abruptly out of his pleasant thoughts. He looked up the hillside and spotted Raymond—one of William’s closest aides—staring down at him with a derisive smirk.

“You must have had quite a pleasant fantasy indeed. I was openly staring at you, yet you never noticed me coming,” Raymond sneered. “Then again, perhaps mages are inherently slow to sense approaching danger, unlike us knights.”

“Watch your tongue, brat,” Marius growled coldly, eyes flashing dangerously. “I haven’t fallen so low that a runt like you can mock me freely.”

Should Marius choose, he could reduce a mere knight like Raymond to ashes in an instant. Being treated as an equal by some insignificant subordinate was deeply insulting.

Yet, despite the palpable threat, Raymond simply laughed contemptuously.

“You presume too much for an old snake who plotted against His Highness. Show some humility while I still bother with politeness—unless you’d prefer I call you a decrepit old bastard outright.”

“What nonsense is this?!” Marius snapped angrily. “When did I ever threaten his life?”

“Oh, excuse me. Perhaps ‘threatening his life’ isn’t quite accurate. You only schemed to control his fate, didn’t you?” Raymond’s smile sharpened into cold mockery. “Though, honestly, I can’t see how that’s much better. Perhaps it’s even more contemptible.”

Marius froze, speechless. A more experienced schemer might have feigned innocence or shifted the blame, but Marius lacked such cunning. Raymond immediately seized upon his silence, pressing further.

“You intended to overload His Highness with mana—Dragon’s mana, at that—didn’t you? Hoping he’d suffer terribly and then run to you, begging for relief. Then you’d kindly help stabilize him, wouldn’t you? Ensuring he would forever be in your debt.”

“You’ve misunderstood!” Marius shouted desperately.

Raymond simply shrugged, unperturbed.

“Whatever your intention was, it hardly matters now. Your scheme failed. Thanks to your meddling, His Highness will soon possess an unimaginable power, and he won’t need your pathetic aid to control it.”

“What?” Marius said blankly.

“You clearly didn’t realize,” Raymond explained calmly. “His Highness is special. From birth, his mana channels have been completely open. No potion or elixir has ever harmed him, and he can handle quantities of mana that would tear any normal human apart. Your little gambit—forcing the Dragon’s mana into his body—will only grant him greater strength.”

Raymond paused, a cold smile spreading across his lips as he enjoyed Marius’s stunned silence.

“Your plot has only accelerated his growth. You’ve played right into his hands.”

Of course, if William’s mana was overflowing to the point of leaking out, it meant he had accumulated power far beyond his current capacity. His body automatically shed excess mana until it reached precisely the right level—something that could easily be considered a beneficial safeguard, as it naturally prevented harmful side effects.

“To a mere knight like myself, however, that always seemed like a tremendous waste,” Raymond continued coldly. “If he could gather as much mana as he pleased without any ill effects, wouldn’t it be better to keep every last drop? I always wanted to find a way to stop that mana from escaping.”

Unsurprisingly, no such method existed—or rather, no one had ever seriously investigated it. After all, holding mana beyond one’s capacity was essentially self-destructive. Who would willingly study ways to inflict self-harm?

“I’d half given up, and so had His Highness. But then,” Raymond said with a sharp smile, “you, old man, provided us with exactly the solution we needed.”

Marius’s blood ran cold.

“Storing the Dragon’s mana inside his body, compressed into a stable form using an artifact,” Raymond continued, his voice dripping with mock appreciation. “When I first heard about your scheme, I was genuinely shocked. If it worked, His Highness could freely wield immense power at will.”

Marius felt as though icy needles were stabbing into his spine. A special constitution? Mana channels fully open from birth? And not only had William already attempted to absorb overwhelming amounts of mana, he’d done so effortlessly and survived?

“Did you really see us as idiots who’d blindly rush in, blinded by greed?” Raymond sneered.

“Now, now—listen to me…” Marius stammered.

“You expected him to take the bait and suffer greatly under the Dragon’s mana, didn’t you? You assumed he’d come crawling back, begging for your help?” Raymond’s voice grew sharper with each word.

“Please, wait—!” Marius pleaded desperately.

“There’s no issue. None at all,” Raymond coldly interrupted. “Even if the Dragon’s mana exploded outward all at once, His Highness would remain perfectly unharmed. I’ve personally witnessed something similar, so you can trust me on that.”

Marius’s legs finally gave way beneath him, and he collapsed helplessly onto the ground.

He had never intended to kill William, nor had he lied about how to operate the artifact. However, even perfectly sealed, small amounts of mana—particularly Dragon’s mana—would inevitably seep out. His plan had relied precisely on that fact: William would need Marius’s magic to stabilize his mana channels, ensuring Marius’s continued importance.

“I…I…” Marius began to mutter through parched lips.

But at that exact moment, a thunderous blast echoed from atop the hill. A massive torrent of brilliant blue flames surged skyward, roaring upward in an unending stream.

Speechless, Marius stared at the flickering blue inferno.

It was true after all…!

Even ordinary mana of that magnitude would have torn a human body apart, dispersing violently like a bomb upon the user’s death. Yet these flames flowed with deliberate direction, proof that their wielder remained perfectly intact and in control.

Marius’s heart sank into despair. Not only had William seen through his intentions completely, but the young prince had turned his own scheme against him. Now, even Marius’s last shred of value was lost.