Wizard Fei suppressed his urgency and calmly reached out, only to see the Demon Hunter stumble. His hand slipped, and the Golden Dragon Scale flew out the window.

It’s common knowledge that Wizards are called Pentagonal Warriors because they excel at both offense and defense. By combining Alchemy and Magic, and pairing Magic Cards with their own spells, a single Wizard can hold off two or three other professionals of the same tier.

But there was one thing Magic couldn’t do.

Magic cannot be used on oneself. This was the Wizard profession’s only, and greatest, weakness.

This meant that no matter how powerful they were—capable of leveling cities and devastating landscapes with a single spell—their bodies were, at their core, still those of ordinary people.

If caught in close quarters without any protective measures, even a Black Iron Tier Demon Hunter could overpower a Bronze Tier Wizard.

As for Silver Mages, they were generally a different breed entirely. They were notorious for hoarding power, their bodies laden with an explosive number of Taboo Items and gear inscribed with Alchemy Runes. Even a professional of the same tier wouldn’t dare to get close without extensive preparation.

This, in turn, explained why Wizard Fei, despite being a Silver Mage, couldn’t catch the Golden Dragon Scale and could only watch as it fell from the window.

The moment Wizard Fei leaned out the window to look down, Baron made a snap decision and lunged for the door to escape.

He had already mapped out a rough escape route. His destination: the residence of Stephen, the Silver Demon Hunter.

But as he threw the door open, he froze.

Outside the door stood Silver Wizard Fei. In his hand was the Gold Coin Chocolate Baron had thrown out the window a second ago during his feigned stumble.

Wizard Fei casually tossed the Gold Coin Chocolate aside. "You know where Carmen is, don’t you?" he said softly to Baron.

Warning bells screamed in his mind. Baron slammed the door shut and instantly retreated. Just as he was about to vault out the window, he saw, to his horror, another Silver Wizard Fei standing right below it!

’How is this possible!’

Baron’s pupils contracted. He spun around, only to see Silver Wizard Fei standing in the room once more, holding a book—the Prole Encyclopedia, which Baron had been idly flipping through while resting.

Wizard Fei flipped through the book and said something that made Baron’s heart leap into his throat. "You and Carmen... neither of you are from Prole."

But Wizard Fei’s next words let his heart slide back down from his throat. "You’re both from Feinan."

"Carmen probably used that to get close to you, L," Wizard Fei said. "But don’t let her fool you, sir. Carmen is far more than she appears. My master, Kuman, the Golden Mage and Tower Master of the Wizard Tower, believes she has the makings of a Witch."

"Witches love to ensnare the ignorant with the promise of a deal, luring them into their service," he said softly. "So much so that I, her fiancé, am still hunting for her to this day."

’A deal...’ Baron’s heart sank as he thought of the blood the Witch had promised him. He asked, "What do you mean, ’the makings of a Witch’?"

"Those who fail to gain the acknowledgment of the Wizard Law and instead forge their own path, attempting to rely on other Laws to reach the Gold tier... Those with such potential are often called Witches."

Wizard Fei said, "In her bid to reach Gold, Carmen is trying to collect Red Dragon Scales to gain the acknowledgment of the Dragon Law. She plans to transform into a Dragon and thus reach the Gold tier."

"But this method is incredibly risky, and she is highly susceptible to being corrupted by the Red Dragon’s Soul. Therefore, she uses various contracts to offload the risk of corruption."

’Offloading the risk... It sounds like how toxins get passed along a food chain.’

Baron’s interest was piqued. Wizard Fei continued, "So there’s no need to hide it any longer, Mr. L. My Compass can sense the Red Dragon Aura on you—an aura unique to Carmen."

"I imagine Carmen must have been present for your entire contract ceremony when you became a Blood Demon Hunter."

"Perhaps that’s why you’re willing to help the Witch. But to avoid any further trouble, I can make another deal with you. All you have to do is tell me where Carmen is..."

Baron perked up. ’So after all that, this is just a spat between a fiancé and his runaway bride. Besides, the Witch is missing and has probably skipped town. As long as the price is right, I could be persuaded...’

"...and I won’t kill you."

"...?" Baron’s eyebrow twitched. He thought he must have misheard.

But as if afraid Baron hadn’t heard him clearly, Wizard Fei repeated his offer and elaborated.

"The Red Dragon is a dragon abandoned by Destiny, and my Astrology can’t get a reading on you. This means you are already deeply tainted by the Red Dragon Aura. Consequently, your Dragon Poison runs deep as well. If this continues, it won’t be long before you contract Dragon Fever, just like Carmen..."

Wizard Fei explained, "Dragon Fever is a condition where the human body, ultimately unable to bear the power of a Giant Dragon, begins to mutate."

"For instance, you might start growing Dragon Scales."

Baron, who had just been celebrating the Dragon Scale that had sprouted on his chest, remained silent.

"Or you might feel a scorching heat in your organs as the Dragon Transformation progresses."

Baron, who could conjure Dragon Flame from his bare hands, also remained silent.

"And those are just the most trivial symptoms of Dragon Fever. Right now, the only known cures are to either kill a High Tier Giant Dragon and consume its flesh and blood to remove the affliction..."

"...or kill the patient infected with Dragon Fever, to spare them from a suffering worse than death."

"There is one other method, but I find it highly unlikely."

"What is it?" Baron asked. He felt like he’d checked every box on the symptom list.

"Become a Dragon Knight," Wizard Fei said softly. "But that’s impossible. Only a Knight acknowledged by the Dragon Race can be called a Dragon Knight."

"And in Prole today, there are only three known members of the Dragon Race. One is the Snow Dragon in the Land of the Far North, another is the Fire Dragon dwelling in the Dwarf Mountain Range, and the last is the Holy Dragon slumbering beneath the Prole Royal City."

"They would never acknowledge a Contract Knight who dares to provoke their dignity..." Wizard Fei said quietly. "And Carmen... she wants to become a Red Dragon that surpasses them all."

"Alright, that’s enough idle chatter. Mr. L, make your choice."

Wizard Fei continued, "Tell me where Carmen is, and I’ll take her away. In return, I’ll help you temporarily suppress the Dragon Poison... As long as you haven’t grown any Dragon Scales and you avoid any further contact with Carmen, you won’t have to worry about contracting Dragon Fever..."

He watched the Demon Hunter, who was stroking his chin as if in deep thought. Wizard Fei wasn’t worried; he held all the cards.

In terms of power, he completely outclassed Baron.

As for the terms of their deals, he was confident that whatever benefits Carmen offered were nothing more than pitiful scraps, tossed to a follower she treated like a dog—not even enough to be called a bone.

That was the way of Witches. They were selfish and yet so alluringly beautiful that one couldn’t help but draw close, only to be subjugated. They were like thorny flowers, fragrant and lovely.

You would get pricked and bloodied, but you’d still want to pluck it, even if you weren’t even worthy of a sniff in the end.

Many of the people Carmen had ensnared ended up this way. In the end, they either died or were cheated by the Witch until there was nothing left of them, not even bone dust.

According to the Fate Compass, L’s destiny was difficult to discern due to the overwhelming Red Dragon Aura surrounding him.

However, from the daily news and his current observations, Wizard Fei could tell that L was a smart man.

Smart men shared a common trait: they treated every decision in life as a momentous choice, one to be made only after careful deliberation.

The choice might not always be the correct one, but it would always be the one with the least downside.

In the next second, he saw Demon Hunter L flash a faint smile. "In that case..."

Wizard Fei drew a sealing Magic Card from the folds of his robes.

"I refuse."

The sealing Magic Card was swapped for one brimming with offensive power.

Wizard Fei sighed. "Why? I require a reason."

L said, "I don’t like your face. It’s that simple."

Wizard Fei had been mistaken. L wasn’t a smart man. He was a lunatic.

And he hated dealing with lunatics more than anything.