A year passed in the blink of an eye.
Noah did not need all that time to open the first gate. He continued pushing mana into the new space until it was completely filled.
He reached the peak of the low grade at the age of fourteen. He did not realize the danger of this at first, but opening the first gate usually required between five and ten years, and even geniuses did not reach the peak of the low grade before their late twenties.
If Noah revealed his current strength, the main house would not treat him as a talent worthy of support, but as a subject of study and a case that might pose a danger, especially if he shared his current development method.
For this reason, Noah confined the mana inside his marrow and showed Robert that he had not opened the first gate yet. All that appeared in his blood was a high density suggesting that he was close to a breakthrough.
Robert did not doubt him much, as Noah’s talent was only slightly better than Robert’s at that time.
The Charlemagne caravan arrived at the appointed time. The caravan consisted of four carriages and a number of soldiers and servants. It was led by a man named Averitt.
Averitt appeared to be a man in his late thirties, with brown hair and a face that smiled often. He was clearly different from the nobles Robert had taken Noah to meet at the festival.
"So you are still alive."
Robert said:
"I disappointed you."
Averitt laughed and extended his hand to shake Robert’s, but Robert ignored it before Averitt slapped him on the back while laughing.
Noah watched them silently.
He was the first person Noah had seen treat Robert this way without facing a cold look or a hidden threat.
Before leaving, Robert said:
"Averitt, make sure he arrives alive."
"If you trusted me, you would not need to say that," Averitt replied with a stupid smile on his face.
"I do not trust you."
"You have not changed."
Averitt climbed into the carriage, taking Noah with him.
The journey to the Imperial City took several days. Noah spent most of them meditating, while Averitt continued trying to start conversations that Noah did not care about.
"How rude you are. You must have inherited your personality from your father."
On the third day, Noah asked him:
"How do you know Robert?"
Averitt’s smile changed slightly.
"Robert? It seems that you do not call him Father when he is not present."
"You did not answer me."
Averitt sighed quietly.
"We trained, ate, and received punishments together. We almost died multiple times. Robert was closer to me than my real brothers."
Averitt took out a small bottle and drank from it before continuing:
"He was a true genius. He entered the middle grade at the age of forty-five. The main house held a banquet that lasted three days to celebrate him. Everyone believed that he would become one of Charlemagne’s elders, or even the next House Head."
"Before he met that woman."
Averitt stopped drinking.
"That woman destroyed his future and made him openly oppose the principles of the nobles."
No change appeared on Noah’s face.
Averitt noticed that and laughed quietly.
"Do not understand me in the wrong way. This is what the Charlemagne nobles say, and I am forced to repeat it. In truth, I always believed that it was the first time Robert chose something for himself."
"And what did the House do?"
They warned him. They asked him to leave her and return to his duties. Instead, he gave up everything and left, disregarding the principles of the nobles. Truthfully, in the eyes of the nobles, a man who sacrifices his status for one woman is not a lover but a fool."
The smile disappeared from Averitt’s face.
"Unfortunately, before Charlemagne’s prestige, even the greatest talent of this century is merely an ant."
He remained silent for several moments before adding:
"He was exiled to Lopton after his return. That branch did not deserve the Silver classification. In fact, it had collapsed to the point of losing its qualification, but the presence of a middle-grade mage at its head was enough to grant it the Silver classification."
Averitt returned the bottle to his pocket and looked out of the window.
"When he asked me to escort you, I agreed before he finished speaking. If something happens on the road, I will return you to him even if I have to remain behind you."
He said it without hesitation.
Noah watched him for some time, then closed his eyes again. He had already gotten a headache from the conversation that had taken place between the two in the palace. Noah concluded that this journey would not be this smooth. Perhaps someone would try to assassinate him.
As Noah expected, the attack came without warning on the evening of the fifth day.
The caravan was crossing a narrow road between two rocky heights when the sound of gunfire echoed.
The driver of the first carriage fell, then the horses swerved and blocked the road. More bullets followed, hitting two soldiers before they could even take cover.
Averitt opened the carriage door and immediately stepped out with a cold look.
"Stay inside. Your uncle has something to deal with."
Three figures appeared above the height. They wore black clothes and masks without any markings. They did not try to hide the aura of mana inside their blood.
From what Noah sensed, each of them had filled between forty and fifty parts of the first space, though Noah was not certain.
They were all low-grade mages, approximately in the middle of the grade, which meant they were close to Averitt’s level.
One of them shouted:
"Hand over Robert’s son, and we will leave the rest alive."
Averitt raised his middle finger, and the ring on his finger lit up. Four puppets that carried no magical energy emerged from four wooden coffins in one of the carriages.