Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

When the old man returned from his thoughts, he realized that today's meeting was drawing to a close. He quickly organized the papers on his desk and exited the parliamentary chamber alongside the other ministers.

But Lizzie remained seated in the main chair. She did not move. Only when the room was empty did she raise her hand and beckon toward the shadows in the corner.

Moments later, a graceful figure clad in a form-fitting black uniform emerged from the darkness. As she approached Lizzie, she dropped to one knee and respectfully presented a piece of parchment inscribed with intelligence details.

Lizzie gave the report a swift glance before tossing it into the candle beside her, watching it burn into ash.

"This intel—can it be trusted?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the kneeling operative.

The woman responded solemnly, "Absolutely. The incident has stirred up so much noise lately that even if we hadn't taken deliberate measures, Alan's information would've surfaced nearby regardless."

"Furthermore, the bounty announcement made his background publicly available. He hails from a rural town in the Plantagenet Kingdom, a place called Snowguard City. He lost both parents at an early age and has been living with his younger sister ever since. It was only after certain events befell House Roan that he fled with his sister toward the imperial capital…"

The operative proceeded to detail Alan's upbringing and journey, not omitting even the smallest details.

But Lizzie merely listened in silence, offering no comment.

At last, the operative summarized, "In short, our department has concluded that Alan is far from the ordinary youth he appears to be. Though he enrolled at Sirius Academy, it's more accurate to say he's protecting Sirius rather than the other way around."

"After all, the Plantagenet Kingdom's Legendary Mage Gayle only showed up once the situation escalated severely."

"What's most perplexing is the conflict Alan had with Church agents during his journey to the capital—on a magic train, no less. That encounter escalated into a violent confrontation, yet he survived. Not only that, but he has since gained the Church's favor. All signs suggest the Church is now doing everything it can to win him over. This implies that Alan is being backed by a force greater than any of us can clearly identify."

At this point, Lizzie abruptly opened her eyes, cutting straight through the operative's speculation.

"No. Not a force. A person."

"A… person?" The operative stared at her, confused.

Lizzie closed her eyes again, recalling her brief but unforgettable clash with Alan.

On the surface, he had seemed like nothing more than a modest magus. But the hellfire whip that erupted from his body—she had never seen anything like it.

Most crucially, when faced with those infernal flames, she had found herself utterly powerless to resist.

And that was no small matter. She was a tier-diamond mage—the strongest beneath the Legendary class. Even though her recent governmental duties had left her little time to train, she had never allowed her strength to dull.

If even she had been helpless against Alan's technique, then whoever stood behind him must be unimaginably powerful.

"Duchess?" the intelligence agent ventured again, seeing Lizzie's blank expression.

She had no way of guessing Lizzie's true thoughts and could only proceed with her report. "After the bounty was issued, the Lioncrest Academy reached out to us, proposing a joint effort to eliminate Alan. But after thorough analysis, our department concluded that the risk was too great. We declined their offer."

"Oh?"

Lizzie tilted her head slightly, a faint smile on her lips. "And what led you to that conclusion?"

The agent cleared her throat and replied, "Though our reasoning may differ from yours, we believe there is an unfathomable presence backing Alan. More importantly, he himself is an exceptional magus. From the time he left his hometown to his journey to the capital and eventually participating in the Forbidden Magus Nicolas's ruins expedition in Ironblood City—none of this has taken more than a few months."

"In that short span, his opponents have increased in strength at an exponential rate—from tier-gold to tier-platinum, and eventually even tier-diamond. Yet not once has he shown signs of weakness."

"For a genius like this, someone one-in-a-million, we must never make him an enemy—even if we cannot win him over. That is a lesson you have instilled in us time and again."

Lizzie chuckled softly. "Seems you really have learned something under my command."

"But of course," the agent replied. "The Duchess is both wise and powerful. Just being near you strengthens us—whether we realize it or not."

At that moment, a slightly older woman appeared beside the kneeling operative. Dressed in the same black uniform, she dropped to one knee in deference to Lizzie.

The younger agent was visibly surprised by her appearance. "Chief… why did you come in person?"

The older woman, now revealed to be the chief of intelligence, glanced at her subordinate and sighed. "I was worried your report might be lacking in detail. I'll take over from here. You may leave."

"Yes, ma'am."

The young agent nodded and vanished back into the shadows.

Once the chief stood, she moved to the seat beside Lizzie.

The Duchess picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and asked, "So how many people are here for Alan—or the ruins?"

The chief paused to think. "Ninety-nine individuals in total. About one-third are genuine prodigies from various nations—young mages unaware of the full situation. They're simply here for the ruins expedition."

"The second third," she continued, "are bounty hunters posing as talented mages. They travel in teams, their motives clear. Lured by the hefty bounty, they'll stop at nothing."

At that, the chief sighed deeply. "And the final third… well, they're a mixed bag."

Lizzie turned to her, intrigued. "Oh? What do you mean?"

The chief pulled out a stack of documents and slid them in front of Lizzie. "Some of them are already notorious figures with large bounties on their own heads. And tagging along behind them are assassins looking to cash in on their deaths. Meanwhile, Lioncrest Academy has not been idle either."

"They've been exploiting their connections to forcefully transfer some of their students to our Kent Kingdom—under the guise of academic exchange. Their real purpose is the same as the bounty hunters: to encircle and eliminate Alan."

"But since these transfers didn't follow official channels, we haven't been able to identify them on any academic roster."

"Still," she added, "none of that is the most pressing concern."

She tapped a specific line on the documents and looked at Lizzie with deadly seriousness.

"These individuals here are in a league of their own. According to field agents, there are traces of forbidden magic on their bodies."

"They may very well be… the legendary dark mages."