"Alright alright I am coming" I muttered in defeat and reluctantly followed Aisha up the path my mind raced with the worst possible scenarios that can occur.

At times like this I could have some help but....

'Why is he so quiet for a while now' I thought wondering why my invisible helper wasn't there to help anymore.

Yes I was referring to Author.

'I hope you give me some clue to what could happen but fine...' I sighed inwardly 'you can ignore me all you want'.

After my thoughts settled I was just about to enter the mansion by opening the door.

Only for it to open by itself.

"Whaaa? Is it a ghost!" I immediately exclaimed in fright but shortly after I heard a amused giggle as a figure emerged from the shadows inside the mansion.

It was a familiar figure someone he knew very well.

She was a blue haired woman in bun wearing a formal maid outfit.

"Lord Valerian I honestly never expected you to be scared of ghost of all things" She muttered with a calm look but a hint of sneer appeared in her eyes as her hand touched her cheeks.

"How Cute..."

It was Claire.

And for some reason she was totally bullying me for being somewhat frightened.

"..." Aisha stared at me in disappointment.

As if her gaze meant 'Are you really scared of ghost despite being a Adult'.

'Why are you judging me like that its not like I am that scared' I thought completely in shock of how these women were treating me so low.

"Claire?" I Blurted out ignoring the disappointment in the air, "How are you here, I thought vampires aren't allowed outside The night kingdom".

Claire straightened her posture as he stood calmly her expression returned to neutral.

"My lord I have been expecting your arrival" she bowed and said respectfully like a true maid as if her previous ridicule wasn't recorded in history.

"I am going to ignore your previous words then but you still didn't say how are you here" I mumbled and my shook my head in pain.

I never liked this maid...

'She has been annoying me from the first time we met' I thought back to the first time she kidnapped 'though apparently she also saved me plenty of time so I should probably not take it to heart'

"Oh My how could I be not answering a question my dear Lord Valerian asked but I don't quite remember what you said" Claire looked surprised and gave a apologetic look as she bowed in regret.

"..."

Is this woman serious.

Stopping the urge to snap at her I took s deep breath and reiterated what I said previously. "I said How are you here I thought Vampires weren't allowed to enter the Human world Now"

Claire's lips curved into a small enigmatic smile as replied cryptically "Restrictions are meant to be...bent". Then her gaze flicked to Aisha who was quietly observing our exchange before returning back to me.

"Anyways That's not important now. Come inside Both of you. We have much to discuss". She stepped aside, gesturing for us to enter the mansion.

I hesitated for bit thinking it could be a trap but knowing it was Claire I decided to trust her and enter the mansion.

'There's something off about this place' I thought the moment I entered the mansion but couldn't pinpoint what exactly.

As we both entered the door automatically closed behind us with a thud.

My gaze swept over the opulent interior my shock deepening at the grandeur of my supposedly former cozy little home.

"So" I began turning my gaze towards claire with a glare "Why is my house turned into a mansion all of a sudden? Don't tell you are the one who messed with it".

At my accusation Claire merely smiled back. "Oh Dear Lord Valerian" she gently chided "You should know that this is a necessary change" she began walking deeper into the estate expecting us to follow as she explained.

"You old home was no longer suitable for your needs and lifestyle as a spouse for Five princesses and one saintess" she turned her head around to smile mischievously at me "Especially when you have such a strong seed clearly you'll have plenty of children".

Alright you didn't need to add that aswell.

'I guess I really needed a remodeling but...' I paused my thought and looked at Claire in annoyance 'its annoying how my things get messed around by others'.

Maybe its just my pride but I don't like that.

"Anyways" Claire resumed her words as we reached the living room which looked quite similar to the one at karnstein Castle. "We are here".

'But how the heck did she managed to do this in a such a short time' I thought to myself in wonder.

I sat on one of the couches present and Aisha followed me to sit beside me.

Claire then served us tea efficiently like a maid would ever though I don't remember her going anywhere to bring the tea.

Being able to play with space is quite convenient isn't it

After serving us tea Claire cleared her throat and began her words "Ahem... So Do you require any assistance or briefing about the mages and what exactly are they to prepare for the meeting".

Her words made me pause sipping on my cup and think for bit.

From what I know I would summarize Mages with these simple words "Aren't they basically just normal humans who can use magic".

But apparently my assumption was wrong as Both claire And even Aisha beside me gave a clear denial.

"No!" They said in unison their voices firm, they exchanged glances before continuing simultaneously.

"Not quite". Claire replied and Aisha explained clearly "Mages are slightly different from that...What they use isn't exactly called magic its called magecraft".

Claire nodded in agreement "Magecraft is the use of Aether or spiritual energy instead of Mana which is magical energy". She continued elaborating "its not from the same source as the magic of demons or witches".

My brow furrowed as I tried to wrap my head around this new information. "So, if they're not using magic," so I asked slowly."Then why do they call it magecraft? Why not just... Aether manipulation?"

Claire shrugged nonchalantly at my question as she said "probably they thought its not cool enough".

Then her tone changed as she revealed "For mages Magic isn't just a manipulation of energy its the crystallization of miracles." claire paused and paced around the room as she moved to a vase to fix the flowers in it and continued.

"Even the magic of witches who use mana the most basic energy for magic is merely referred to as Witchcraft by the mages as even the inherent abilities doesn't qualify Mages standards for true magic."

Hearing her explanation Aisha nodded and added "Its because Mages are too obsessed with reaching the truth of existence and the so called True magic that they banned anyone from using the word magic for their power." She sighed dramatically and leaned on my shoulder "Because of those old Foxes even us in the church needed to rename our Holy magic to Holy Art instead".

Hearing all that I now had a rough understanding of the mages but there still a question I was curious about.

"So what are mages and what differentiate them from witches" I asked "Of course other than the fact they use different energies".

Claire turned back towards us and placed a hand on her cheek as she thought "Hmm Its not like Mages only use Aether its that they conver Aether to Mana and then use it for magecraft".

What?

I had a baffled face as I clearly didn't understand what she meant.

Why use a different energy just to convert to other to use it.

Claire understanding my confusion decided to explain clearly "You see unlike witches Mages don't have a large capacity to store mana but they don't actually have ability to store Aether either". She paused and moved her hand as space ruptured around it "Since they have neither they use the help of spirits who are born with spiritual energy".

Then suddenly as she snapped her fingers, a brief illusion of a giant phoenix that vanished as quickly as it appeared. I stared in stunned silence, my eyes wide with disbelief.

"What was that?" I breathed out my voice tinged with awe and confusion.

"Illusion," Claire replied casually. "Or perhaps a simple mistake in perception."

She continued without missing a beat.

"As for the difference between Mages and witches its simple witches possess a natural affinity for magic due to their curse. Mages, on the other hand,"she paused dramatically, "need to form a contract with a familiar to become a true mage...In other words the basics of being a mage is to be a summoner"

Aisha spoke beside me with a respectful tone as she added onto Claire's explanation "And the first one to form the first path for mages is the Legendary king Solomon The master of Ars Goetia".

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