Vael chuckled.
"I know about your secret talent, Princess. The reason why Kaizel the Great took you in as his student. Your mother. Your special talents."
He paused.
"And that's why I want you to help me find the location of the lord's secret treasury."
Silence descended in the room as Azora gazed at Vael, who was currently lying down on the floor with her hands tied behind her back.
"You... how do you ?"
Vael didn't answer, simply opting to give her a smile.
Azora had a secret. Born into the royal family, she was always looked down upon for her humble origins, due to her mother being a commoner who had died during childbirth. Azora had accepted that fact as well until, during her awakening at the age of sixteen, she discovered something quite shocking.
As it turned out, her mother had been an elf her father had met during his travels to the World Tree. Normally, it was impossible for a human and an elf to have children without special means, but the ones that did were often recorded to have been born with special abilities.
In Azora's case, she was born with the inherent ability to see mana in its purest form, giving her an inherent magical talent that would be truly threatening to her brother and sister, especially now, since they were vying for the throne.
This was also the reason why she had been so shocked, unable to see through Vael's invisibility.
The only ones who knew about her inherent talent were her teacher Darien, her father, and herself... at least until this point.
Vael, however, knew this fact since it had become well known in the future after the Elven Domain had joined the Human Alliance, using her as a spokesperson to repel them, the invaders attacking their world.
"Who are you? Who else knows about this?" Azora asked once again, a murderous glint shining in her eyes.
If this fact were made public, her siblings weren't going to spare any effort to get rid of her, another potential candidate for the throne.
Vael once again didn't answer, opting to smile instead.
"You can see the quality of mana emanating from my body. That's why you should be able to tell that you would never be able to defeat me. Luckily for you, I despise both of your siblings too much to tell them something so crucial."
"How can I trust that you aren't lying, Zathiel the Scum?"
Vael chuckled.
"This is not a negotiation, Princess."
He brandished the dagger in his hands.
"I can give you a thousand reassurances, but I doubt you would believe any of them. So I'll only give you straight-up facts. I am the guy with the dagger, and you are the helpless little mage currently lying on the ground. I am a mage capable of spells even your master can't see through, and you are a fledgling who only knows the basics. I am the guy who can end your life right now and walk out of this place without making a sound. And you... Well, you'll be dead. The only thing you can do right now is comply and believe what I am saying. Do you understand the point I am trying to make?"
Listening to Vael, Azora had no choice but to nod.
Seeing that, Vael let out another smile.
"Good. Let's start with the lord's office, then."
Untying her hands, Vael activated his invisibility charm and summoned a simple Mana Bolt spell, aiming it at her back.
"Let's go."
He commanded as Azora walked out of her room into the hallways.
"Good evening, Your Highness."
She had only taken a step outside when one of the patrolling guards bowed and gave her a greeting.
Acknowledging him with a simple nod, Azora began walking forward, aware of the quiet footsteps following her close behind.
Although she couldn't see the man behind her, she could feel the Mana Bolt hovering inches away from her heart.
Right now, all she wanted was to somehow get in contact with her teacher, but she knew that even a single misstep could lead to death.
What made the situation worse was that she didn't understand the man's motive.
Yes, Zathiel had told her that he wanted to rob the castle lord, but she refused to believe such a nonsense lie.
What kind of mage would come to rob someone while carrying such a high-grade invisibility charm, while also being aware of one of the deepest secrets of the royal family?
"We are here," Vael spoke in a low voice, forcing her out of her thoughts.
Right now, they were standing in front of a large wooden door engraved with multiple carvings.
In front of the door stood two guards on standby. Looking at the princess, both of them immediately bowed.
"Good evening, Your Highness..."
Vael didn't waste any time. He immediately launched into action, using his Tier 2 strength. He aimed for their heads, knocking out the two guards before opening up the door behind them and throwing their unconscious bodies inside.
"You... why did you ?"
"Relax, Princess. I just knocked them out. They'll be fine in the morning."