Saul didn’t respond immediately. He understood how desperately someone on the verge of death could crave life—but he also understood the concerns of those within the Wizard Tower.

Taking on greater trouble just for the sake of a cover identity would completely go against his original intentions.

And yet, it was precisely because Justin was a fugitive from the Tribunal that Saul found himself somewhat tempted.

If he hadn’t already rooted himself at Lake Rhine—unlike the past when he could leave whenever he wanted—he might very well have taken the job.

But now, he had far more to consider, and those considerations had become shackles.

If the risks and rewards weren’t proportional…

“If you think the risks outweigh the rewards, would you at least be willing to hear what I can offer in return?”

Justin had already humbled himself as much as he could.

Saul glanced at his Steward Hope, who had returned to his side. The latter merely smiled, his expression seeming to say: “Master, whatever you decide, I will support you unconditionally.”

And even Morden, still within the diary, didn’t voice any objections.

Morden: “Master, there’s no need to worry about us.”

Penny, on the other hand, was already giving terrible ideas: “Brother Saul, see if he has anything good. If not, we can just kill him and take it!”

“Hmm…” Saul’s prolonged silence made Justin increasingly uneasy.

Ever since he had lowered his head before Saul, he no longer tried to hide his inner emotions.

“Then let’s see what you have to offer. The things I want—you may not have. And even if we come to an agreement, I must make one thing clear in advance: your pollution problem is extremely complex. No matter how much you pay, there is no way I can guarantee success.”

“In other words, you might pay the price and still fail to regain your health. In fact, the condition might even worsen.”

With a flick of Saul’s wrist, a contract appeared at his fingertips. “If you agree, then let’s sign a liability waiver first.”

By the time the Old Witch hurried over, all she saw was Saul already setting off on his return journey. The supposedly dangerous Second-Rank wizard was standing with his back to Lake Rhine, tightly gripping a piece of parchment in his hand.

“No need for me to save the day anymore?” The Old Witch cackled. “Even so, my appearance fee still stands.”

“Appearance fee” was a new phrase Saul had casually thrown out during a previous incident when he’d asked her to ambush an enemy.

The Old Witch had learned and now used it herself.

At this moment, Saul still had a hint of excitement on his face. Hearing the Old Witch’s words, he didn’t show his usual reluctance, but instead readily agreed to her demand.

“Ha, no problem.”

Hearing Saul agree so quickly, the Old Witch instantly regretted asking for so little.

But she also understood Saul’s nature well. If she were to go back on her word now, he’d likely not only refuse but also use the chance to revoke his original offer.

She could only suspiciously glance at the Second-Rank wizard standing with his back to Lake Rhine, still unable to figure out what had gotten Saul so happy.

But Saul had no intention of telling her. After returning to the Wizard Tower, he summoned several soul projections.

“I’m planning to accept Justin’s request and attempt to treat and cleanse his pollution.”

The projections exchanged glances—none voiced any objections.

While they would offer their suggestions, once Saul made a decision, they would follow it unconditionally.

The Old Witch hadn’t been part of the earlier discussion and didn’t know who Justin was, so naturally, she had nothing to object to.

But she quickly pieced things together from what Saul said next.

“Although Justin is a metal-element wizard, he somehow has several Third-Rank dark-element spells in his possession. Before treatment, I can choose one freely. And after the treatment—regardless of the outcome—he’ll let me pick another.”

Saul couldn’t figure out how this man had come to possess so many Third-Rank dark-element spells.

After all, most First-Rank wizards had only studied two or three Third-Rank spells aligned with their own element.

“Plus, he knows some things about the Tribunal. Like the Shattered Goblet.”

Ever since Saul had snatched that Tribunal specialty—the Shattered Goblet—from Mentor Gudo, he’d yet to find the correct way to use it.

He could only crudely use it to shred intact soul bodies.

But in truth, complete soul bodies were usually far more valuable than scattered soul fragments.

So that shattered goblet hadn’t seen much use before he sealed it away deep in the storage vessel.

Yet, judging from what Justin had said, the shattered goblet actually served a very important purpose—such as producing certain special, luminous soul fragments.

Justin had brought Saul far too many unexpected surprises, and he was beginning to realize more clearly that this man’s identity was far from that of an ordinary wanted criminal. There were likely even deeper secrets waiting to be uncovered.

So in the end, Saul decided to allow Justin into the Wizard Tower for treatment!

If he kept treating patients outside Lake Rhine as he had before, it would neither ensure confidentiality nor prevent unexpected events from spiraling out of his control.

But if Justin was to become the very first outsider to set foot in the Purity Wizard Tower, Saul needed to ensure he remained fully under their supervision.

“Old Witch, I’ll arrange for Justin to stay on the third floor. We’ll also assign someone to keep an eye on him. Your main task is to make sure he doesn’t enter the underground level.”

The Old Witch rolled her eyes. She was just about to refuse when she saw Saul stretch out a hand.

“Deal!”

The Old Witch’s eyes turned as she changed tack. “Though I didn’t expect it… that Justin out there really is the same Justin I once knew.”

Everyone turned toward her in surprise.

“You actually know Justin outside?” Saul asked, even more astonished.

The Old Witch dragged a chair over and plopped down, curling her legs up and resting them on the seat.

“Justin, yes. Anyone who’s spent a few years in the Borderland has heard of him—a rather unlucky Second Rank wizard.”

Everyone leaned in with interest, eager to hear the gossip about a Second Rank wizard.

“He came from an old family in Nephret. The clan had already fallen from prominence, but life was still decent. Every generation produced at least one true wizard. Unfortunately… His family was suddenly placed under a Tribunal Restriction Order. If they couldn’t produce a Third Rank wizard within three years, all members would be purged.”

The surrounding consciousness forms exchanged uneasy glances. Even Saul couldn’t help clenching his fists.

“What’s a Tribunal Restriction Order? And on what basis do they issue such orders?”

The others subtly leaned forward as well.

Herman couldn’t resist saying, “Back when I was on the Land Drifters with the captain, we once ran into a Tribunal purge. I heard that anyone who fails to meet the criteria set by a Restriction Order will be executed. At the time, the target was a First Rank wizard who tried hiding out on the ship, but the captain refused. He said he didn’t dare defy the Tribunal.”

The Old Witch sneered coldly at that. “Your captain was right. In this world, the only ones who dare openly defy the Tribunal are the Stargate Council of Iskaper. Maybe you could add the Sky City of the Skyai Islands too—those are the only places with two or more Fourth Rank wizards.”

“The Tribunal’s Chief is the Fourth Rank wizard Frim. They make him out to be some kind of god—supposedly, wherever there’s light, his will is present.”

“Of course, I don’t buy into that. But the Tribunal really does stick its hand into everything, even matters that go completely against its stated ideals—like Iskaper’s, for example.”

“So although they officially claim they won’t enter the Borderland, I don’t believe that for a second. At the very least, they certainly wouldn’t ignore this place entirely.”

Third Rank wizards were already figures people could only look up to—let alone Fourth Rank.

This only made everyone more curious about what kind of beings Fourth Rank wizards actually were.

The Old Witch shared what she knew.

Frim’s Tribunal held sway over two of Nephret’s great empires—Evernight and Orlan. The symbol of Evernight was the Red Sea Tree that blanketed the entire coastline. Orlan was the domain of the fishfolk.

Nephret’s other empire, Blackflame, fared slightly better. Since the royal family itself possessed a Fourth Rank wizard, the Tribunal’s control over it wasn’t quite so absolute.

Still, on the surface, even Blackflame had to obey the Tribunal’s directives.

Hearing this, Saul couldn’t resist asking his earlier question again.

“So then, what exactly is the Tribunal judging? What are the Restriction Orders meant to restrict?”

The Old Witch’s face darkened. She looked directly at Saul’s young face and said, “You’ve hit the crux of the matter… but I don’t know either.”

(End of Chapter)

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