Only one level remained before Orion could rank up. The urgent desire to do something, anything, to earn the remaining experience was incredibly hard to ignore, but he’d just spent two days locked in his lab working on [Null Light], and he was pretty sure that if he stayed there a little longer, his mother would come looking for him and drag him out by the ears.

  So, Orion organized his notes somewhat, hid the most valuable parts in his lab coat’s inner pockets, and headed to the mess hall.

  If I could just do what I did for [Infinite Laser] for [Light Exoskeleton], boosting efficiency and increasing output, I’m pretty sure I’d get the last bit of exp I need, but its underlying structure is quite different from other light spells, meaning I’d have to rework the data and adapt it, which would take at least half a day.

  But that had to wait until later. First, there was dinner, and then he would sit with his mother and the Elder to wait for news of who had been elected as the Arcane Collegium’s new high councilor.

  I never thought I’d miss twenty-four-hour live news, but right now, I really could use a quick recap. Esmeralda was more informed than I was, even though I’ve been here in the thick of it ten times longer than she has.

  The mess hall was bustling with chatter as he entered, and more benches and tables had been brought out to accommodate what appeared to be the entire witch population of Valderun.

  Orion knew that not everyone loyal to the Sanctum lived inside the embassy, but he hadn’t expected this.

  Around a thousand people were packed into a hall that usually held a hundred, all thanks to the building’s powerful spatial magic, which expanded the room on demand, making it feel truly cavernous.

  It wasn’t just witches; it was also young children, several men who seemed out of place, and adventuring teams who gained permission to visit for one night because they included a witch in their group.

  It was a much more public event than Orion had expected. Yue definitely didn’t seem like the type to open the embassy’s doors to this many men, no matter their connection to the Sanctum, but a look around revealed why the sudden change.

  Yue was nowhere to be seen, and Kissea was instead running the dances, getting reports from servants, barking out orders, and making sure everything ran smoothly.

  Orion navigated the busy lanes, dodging people as he searched for his mother, but she was nowhere to be found.

  “I haven’t heard of a Ceremony of Gratitude ever being this public,” a witch remarked.

  “Well, though it is a holy day, I’d wager almost everyone is thinking about something else tonight. Once we hear what those pompous mages have decided, we’ll be able to focus on thanking the Moon Mother, as is proper.” Another responded, and Orion was suddenly reminded that, indeed, today was technically a holy day.

  To my defense, it’s not like anyone’s been talking about it. Everyone’s been focused on Mallon’s retirement and his new replacement. I doubt I’m the only one who forgot. If I asked everyone in this room, I bet a good fifth still wouldn’t be able to tell.

  Although it was no surprise that Yue would stay away from such chaos, considering her dislike for large crowds and, in Orion’s opinion, the importance she placed on her mysterious reputation, he had expected to find his mother waiting for him impatiently.

  Getting to Kissea was somewhat challenging, as many required her attention constantly, but the shock of white hair he sported made him easy to identify. Once she spotted him, she did the work for him.

  “Orion!” she called firmly, and he raised a hand to show he had heard her.

  The servants quickly dispersed, sensing something in her tone that told them they weren’t meant to listen in, leaving them in a bubble of emptiness.

  “Where have you been, kid?” she asked, and he lifted an eyebrow, making her sigh. “Of course, I should have expected it. Well, your mother and the Elder have been busy discussing something important with your friend Set for the last hour and a half. Do you have any idea what it might be about?”

  Orion leaned back on his heels, surprised. As far as he knew, the Senate vote was only hours away, maybe even less. Why would Set be here when he should have been in the Collegium, coordinating the last-minute backroom deals?

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “I have no idea. Beyond the obvious subject, I’ve been holed up in my lab for two days. I haven’t spoken to mom for more than a few minutes, and it’s about nothing significant.” There had been some discussions about what happened at the vampiric embassy and how, although she appreciated his willingness to intervene on her behalf, he should have trusted her to handle the two vampires herself. But he doubted Set had come to hear about that.

  As if being summoned by his words, Asteria appeared at the hall’s doors, her eyes locking onto him a second later.

  Being the subject of a Tier Four's attention was something Orion was still fully getting used to. Although he had improved at bearing it without showing any signs of discomfort, he was still very conscious of it, so he couldn’t have missed it when she signaled for him to come over.

  Orion exchanged a confused look with Kissea, but was quickly ushered out toward Asteria.

  “What’s going on?” he asked once he reached her, and she pursed her lips, shaking her head, and walked out.

  He hurried to follow, feeling the embassy’s familiar magic pull them not toward Yue’s sitting room, as he’d expected, but toward the outside.

  Sensing the urgency of the situation, Orion kept his mouth closed, but inside, he was buzzing with questions. Ideas raced through his mind, from some great evil emerging from the continent, to an attack on the Sanctum, and even the possibility of the war in the south spilling north, forcing them to evacuate Valderun.

  Nothing felt quite right or realistic, but his mind kept happily suggesting all the wicked possibilities.

  The magic of the space finally released its hold on him once he stepped outside, his feet crunching on the gravel in the outdoor area where carriages usually waited.

  Tonight, only the black-and-silver one belonging to Yue, used solely for her transport to and from the Ruling Complex, was available.

  Oh damn. Is this really that serious, then? Are we under attack?

  The carriage door was already open, and Orion let his mother pull him toward it and shove him inside without even giving him a chance to say a word to the stone-faced driver.

  “In,” she ordered, and he stepped up. He was unsurprised to see Yue and Set already waiting for them, and as soon as he sat down and his mother closed the door behind her, the carriage accelerated rapidly.

  He waited a few seconds, only for a tense silence to fill the space, and he sighed. “Is anyone going to explain what’s going on? I assure you, my imagination is perfectly capable of filling the gap, and you don’t want me preparing for the most outlandish possibilities.”

  Set’s lips twitched in amusement, but even he, who was seemingly always in control and unbothered by any setback, was affected by the somber atmosphere, and the expression was cut off halfway, turning into a grimace of sorts.

  Yue barely glanced at him, her attention fixed on the sliver of moonlight visible through the privacy screen, while his mother reached over and took his hand.

  “Moonbeam, this is very serious,” she said, and he settled back down, exhaling and nodding to show he’d stop joking.

  “Archmage Set here has brought us very dire news. The main race for the position of High Councilor has been between Archmage Oppellon and Archmage Questador, who represent different factions within the Collegium. Both are in the upper reaches of tier four, and would make decent councilors, but lack anything that makes them stand out from the other, so they’ve had to seek external support to boost their image,” she explained, and he nodded in agreement.

  Esmeralda was able to explain that much, although he hadn’t fully understood how she had learned it herself.

  “Archmage Oppellon was the first to extend an olive branch to the Sanctum, and he’s the candidate backed by Archmage Set and most of the moderate wing of the Collegium. He would have made a decent, if not particularly strong, Speaker, focusing on mediation among the various factions, which was the most we could ask for in the current field. In the past few days, his position has been strengthening, and we were moving toward a victory with comfortable margins.”

  Yue snorted sharply, “He is an old fool who sold his soul to the devil for a crumb of power. He wouldn’t last more than a year in his position after the other factions started testing his resolve.”

  Set seemed to take umbrage with that, “Now, Elder, do not be so harsh. The poor man was genuinely eager to work for the betterment of the Magocracy, and calling me a devil is a bit too much, in my opinion.”

  Orion blinked, hiding a smile, as he doubted the worst had been revealed yet. “I’m guessing things have changed recently, then? Is the other candidate about to win?”

  Asteria shook her head, “No, if that had been it, we wouldn’t have been this worried. Archmage Questador is a bit too hotheaded for our tastes, and his derision of other major factions as subordinates to the Collegium hasn’t gained him much external support, but he’s still a known quantity. We could have handled it, despite the difficulties.”

  “And made him fall just the same after a sufficiently long amount of time. This election had essentially become about delaying the process before the actual leader of the Collegium could be chosen once the old monsters, who keep out of its daily affairs, were roused.” Set finished for her, and Nick got a sneaky suspicion.

  His mother looked somewhat resigned, as if she had to come to terms with something she really didn’t want to do but thought was unavoidable. Meanwhile, Yue was irritated beyond belief, and Set seemed full of nervous energy, like a dice player who had bet his life’s savings, and whose fate was about to be revealed.

  Overall, it wasn’t a very reassuring scene, and he could guess where he came in, but before he opened that can of worms, he wanted to confirm something.

  “One of these tier five monsters has entered the field at the last minute, then?”

  Asteria’s face hardened, and she nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. After making it seem like he wasn’t interested, Venerable Archmage Ulysses has stepped into the ring and quickly gained a working majority of the Senate, if the other two candidates remain in the running.”

  Before he could ask for clarification, Set provided it, “Ulysses is an artifact of a different era. You don’t get the title of Venerable Archmage via mere seniority or some success in battle. He led the northern front against the sea invaders, and that’s only the most recent of his accomplishments. He once ruled his own petty kingdom and had done so for centuries before Mallon brought him into the fold. It helps his claim that he’s a tier five mage, and would ensure the Collegium’s primacy within the High Council.”

  Orion thought about that for a moment. He remembered hearing the name during Minister Ames’ history lessons, though, from the way he’d spoken of it, he would have thought the man was long dead.

  Instead, Venerable Archmage Ulysses was clearly not only alive but well enough to pursue the top position in the land.

  “So what’s the downside to this guy?” He asked, almost hesitantly.

  Set took a grave cast. “He has not made any effort to hide his ambitions. Ulysses wants to wield the power of the Speakership to unify Cyril, and if that isn’t enough, he will take to the battlefield once more.”

  Asteria squeezed his hand, drawing his attention to her. “We need you to convince your father to step up against him, moonbeam.”