The office they were led into was probably the most luxurious workspace Orion had ever seen, in both of his lives, which was saying something considering he’d once been in an oil prince’s palace.

  He doubted it would last long, since his father was a very different man from Mallon.

  The extremely fine gold filigree that covered everything, for example, would probably go, even if [Hypotheticism] told him it was the anchor for several spells. The desk was a solid block of marble, with silver and blue veins that Orion had never seen in nature before.

  It was perhaps the only non-magical item in the entire room, as even the chairs, tables, and other furniture mostly served as anchors for numerous pieces of highly complex magic. These included monitoring systems analyzing the vast amount of data the wards were feeding into the room, as well as defensive and even offensive options powerful enough for siege warfare.

  Why go so far when the person sitting in the chair was one of the most powerful men in the entire Magocracy, if not the most powerful? He didn’t know, but clearly Mallon believed it was necessary, and he had been Speaker long enough to know what he was doing.

  “Welcome,” Antares greeted them, standing up from behind the marble desk. He was wearing a white robe with black and silver trim, likely meant to show that he belonged to both the Collegium and the High Council equally, but that wasn’t where Orion’s attention rested.

  Instead, his eyes fixed on the majestic staff hovering behind him. It was a beautiful piece, crafted from snow-white wood that stretched eight feet and curled around a large amethyst pulsing with inner light. On its surface, countless tiny glyphs buzzed with potential, and to [Hypotheticism], it almost felt like staring into the sun.

  Antares hadn't used a focus during his duel with Ulysses, but he was using one now.

  The man seemed to follow his line of sight and smirked, purple eyes crinkling, “I found this little thing in the vaults of the Collegium. Archmage Mallon took it from the workshop of an ancient Fae Queen and used her heart to finish it. It’s quite something, even for me.”

  Orion nodded silently, still internalizing the extent of raw mana that a stick of wood could conjure. Its quality was so exceptional that [Hypotheticism] could only estimate it, but even so, he recognized it far surpassed his masterpiece, the CC, by a wide margin.

  It wasn’t that surprising, given that it had apparently been made with legendary ingredients and by the man who was widely considered the most powerful of all magicians, but it still put things into perspective.

  That happened quite often. Orion’s traits this time seemed more focused on not just learning enough about the world to create his own spells, but truly understanding it, and his place in it. It required a lot of self-reflection.

  “There were fae in Cyril once?” He asked instead of all the questions he had about its inner workings. He wouldn’t get the answer he wanted anyway, since his own magic operates on different principles.

  “Oh, yes,” Antares replied with a nod. “Apparently, they were once a real problem. Nearly every forested area had a court, and it took a combined effort from the Collegium and the Greenwood Enclave to remove them. Last I heard, some still hide out in remote regions, so I wouldn’t say they’re completely gone yet, but they’ve been lying low.”

  “Why the elves?” As far as Orion knew, the Enclave only ever mobilized when their old enemies, the necromancers, did something, or if they believed an existential threat was approaching. The rest of the time, they preferred to stay in hiding, with only the occasional rogue or merchant venturing out.

  “Well, elves are distant cousins to the fae, you see,” Antares explained, rubbing his chin. “And like all families, they tend to have their skeletons hiding in the closet.”

  Like everything else about the man, his skin was perfect. No stubble decorated it, nor did bags pull under his eyes. If someone didn’t know he had just become the Speaker of the High Council, they’d be forgiven for thinking he had just woken from a refreshing nap.

  Asteria snorted, eyeing the staff with a mix of awe and amusement. “Only you would use a legendary weapon as a conversation starter.”

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  Shrugging, Antares snapped his fingers, and a set of delicate porcelain cups, along with a large pitcher, appeared on the desk. “I hope you don’t mind mou. I’ve taken a liking to it, and had the staff at the Complex buy a few different brews. Mallon preferred herbal teas, but they never sat well with me.”

  Orion’s eyes sparkled as the heavenly aroma filled the room, though he forcefully held back from being too excited. He knew his father was aware he drank mou, since they had met at a cafe that only served that drink once.

  Is this his way of setting a good mood? I guess there's nothing wrong with it, even though it's a bit awkward.

  It might also be the truth. Why would Antares feel the need to lie about something this minor?

  Asteria sat down, seeming less disturbed by the man’s behavior. Since she knew Antares much better than he did, Orion followed her lead and took his own seat.

  The chair was sinfully comfortable—soft enough to feel like he was being hugged, yet firm enough to provide stability. If there’s one thing this world has mastered, it’s furniture. It’s so much better than anything we had back on Earth.

  “Thank you for joining me today,” Antares said as the cups floated off the desk and into their laps. “I know you have a lot to do to prepare for your return to the Sanctum, but I felt we needed to have this talk.”

  There was something mechanical about his tone, but it didn’t seem insincere. Likely, he wasn't used to talking about his real feelings and was forcing himself to do it.

  Orion knew how hard that was.

  He took a sip and exhaled in pleasure. Few things in life could be called truly worth it, but mou was one of them. I’ll have to ask where he got this brew. It’s not as floral or caramelly as most of the stuff I find in cafes, but the deeper notes of nuts give it real character.

  “I agree,” Asteria said with a stiff nod, fingers tightening around the cup for a brief moment. “Our past is our past, and I doubt either of us will forget it anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a grown-up relationship from now on.”

  Orion knew well how much that cost her. She was still struggling with the betrayal of her trust, and it might help her to distance herself from Valderun to process everything. However, her attempt to work with Antares despite all that inner turmoil only made him feel proud.

  It would have been easy to return to the coven and hole up there, ignoring everything that caused her pain. If he were honest, Orion would admit that he probably would have done just that if he were in her position. But Asteria was more mature than he was, and she could manage her emotions if it meant moving forward.

  Antares breathed out, closing his eyes briefly. It made him appear younger, somehow, despite the weight newly added to his shoulders, and highlighted his resemblance to Orion.

  After spending so much time with him, I understand why some people recognize me right away. We really do look alike.

  “That’s wonderful. Now, let’s discuss the most important issue first, and if we’re still in the same productive mood, we may move on to the less contentious ones afterward.”

  Orion snorted, amused by the straightforwardness, but waved his hand to indicate he had no objection.

  "From my perspective, becoming Speaker shouldn’t affect you, but sadly, since we live in the real world, it does.” He raised his hand to stop anyone from speaking, though both Asteria and Orion stayed silent.

  We already knew that.

  “The most immediate consequence is that many factions, large and small, will focus a lot of attention on you. If I had become Speaker naturally, this might have been less intense, but since your involvement is known to everyone, anything I do to shield you will only be temporary, unless you agree to live with me, which I doubt you would.”

  “We wouldn’t,” Asteria said coolly, but didn’t deny his assessment.

  Antares pursed his lips but didn’t seem too upset about it. “In that case, your temporary return to the Sanctum will be helpful. You might face some internal scrutiny, I’m sure, but I trust you can handle it. Your recent rank-ups, for both of you, should take care of that, at least.”

  Orion didn’t bother asking how he knew. Antares had already told him he could access information directly from the System, so it wasn’t surprising that he could tell he was tier two now.

  “I do think you won’t be able to stay there for long. Hiding under Seraphina’s shield will protect you from much, but not everything, and the longer you delay, the more attention you’ll attract," he added.

  Asteria didn’t appear to like that either and opened her mouth to disagree with his assessment, but something flickered in her eyes, and she hesitated.

  Yeah, there's that bitch we have to deal with. Morliana might not be able to bully us anymore, not with Yue on our side and Mom at tier four, but she still has a lot of influence in the Sanctum. I have no doubt she’ll find a way to make things difficult for us anyway.

  After a moment of silence, Antares nodded, as if her silence confirmed his thoughts. “As I see it, you have three options. The first, and possibly the simplest, is to stay, cut ties with me publicly, and fight it out. You definitely have the grit for it, though it will likely be a slow process with few rewards until very late in the game. The second is to leave the Sanctum behind and join the Collegium.”

  He started to speak again, probably to explain the benefits the move would bring, but Asteria shook her head. “I didn’t accept it then, I won’t accept it now. I am a witch of the Lunar Sanctum, a priestess of the Moon Mother. That is who I am. That is who I will die as.”

  Notably, she didn’t mention anything about such a fate being shared by Orion, and from the glint in Antares’ eyes, he had noticed as much.

  The man took a breath, a surprisingly humane gesture considering the immense power he could summon, but Orion knew it was a habit that was hard to break. Maybe, after a century or two of ruling the Magocracy, even those remnants would vanish, but Antares had grown into a monster rivaling the greatest in a very short time. It would take a while before he lost all signs of his mortality, despite his iron control.

  “That leaves us with only one option if we want to prevent anyone from targeting you because of your connection to me. The third choice is for Orion to become a student here, or at least a Wandering Researcher. It wouldn’t even require him to officially renounce the Lunar Sanctum, and it would give him access to the best resources to support his growth.”

  Though the words Antares spoke referred to him, Orion could see they were a plea to his mother, and her alone.

  “He has the potential to surpass every one of his peers. No, to surpass me! We shouldn't waste it. Asteria, I’m not saying this out of greed for a legacy or because I want to take more from you than I already have. But think about his future. Our son deserves more, and you know it.”