A mage ?

The plan that had been proposed by Rebecca was simple. Isaac would remain hidden within the ramparts and watch them unseen while she and Artiel introduced themselves as the 'servants' of the master of the house, which was largely true.

The two teenagers would then go talk to them and find out why they came and if they wanted to see Isaac. This will thus give him a position of hierarchical superiority, since technically speaking, the plains of Fray'r are considered neutral territory and therefore Kilguana's military forces are considered outsiders and have no jurisdiction here.

Isaac raised his hand and made a dozen runes appear on the floor. The next moment, a dozen earth golems emerged from the ground before reforming to draw identical female silhouettes.

A new rune then replaced the previous one, and vines rose from the ground and came to surround the golems, giving them rudimentary maid's clothes before the golems lined up.

After a while, a smiley face appeared on their face before being covered by a white wooden mask, their hair made of vines colored in black. It was a quick creation of Isaac that he had made to clear his mind during his research.

After all, by staying on the same subject or project for too long, we let ourselves go pretty quickly.

The two teenagers eyed the new golems of about their size in surprise before changing to a stunned expression upon seeing the clothes and figures of the golems. After a while, these had become extremely realistic.

- "Formation" ordered Isaac.

- "Confirmed" said the golems.

Immediately, the 'maids' set out and descended the ramparts before heading in front of the gate in a line. Isaac then turned to Rebecca and Artiel still in shock and indicated to them to join the formation.

As they walked, about thirty runes appeared again and new figures of earth emerged from the ground. This time, male figures, some armed with a spear, others with a sword and others with a bow. Gradually about 75 land soldiers appeared, wearing rock armor, and each took up their post.

The archers on the ramparts while the three-meter-high defense golems currently numbering four were put on standby, in order to avoid causing unnecessary reactions from the arriving cavalry.

Once the small army had been created, Isaac turned to the approaching horsemen with a small smile. The golems were easy to create, since they were copies with the only difference being their appearance, with a few modifications.

About two miles away, the riders were now close enough to see the beginnings of the fort and what appeared to be a tall tower with a construction running along the cliff face and rising all the way to the top.

The captain suddenly frowned. That the barrier of the sanctuary was deactivated was one thing, but that someone had built a fortification and a way up into the sanctuary was another thing.

It was possible that it was the principality, but the chances were far too slim. The report had reached them two weeks ago and the witness had not mentioned a building. And such a construction could never have escaped him, but the second scenario was much more unlikely.

Who could build a fort so quickly? The first thing that came to his mind immediately was mages. A mage army was capable of this and the only realm capable of doing so other than Kilguana was the Draconic Empire. Raphael shivered at the thought, but he had to confirm it.

Therefore, they hastened to the fortification. The riders were much more anxious when they saw the imposing fort in front of them. After all, Erivia, the town they came from and served in, had barely built two-meter-high stone perimeter walls around the town.

The site had taken several years and the city's treasury had taken a big hit. But it was an investment the governor thought was worth it. In addition to being able to impose entry and exit restrictions, authorities could now collect taxes more easily.

Also, seeing the fifteen meter high stone walls, the riders felt uncomfortable. But it was Iracuz who was on the verge of panic. Among all the company, he was the only one who had potential for magic. Although this feat was too low to qualify for a magical academy, it was well existing which allowed him to have mana vision.

- "Raph !!" the young man yelled as he approached. "The walls ... they ... are enchanted ..." he stammered.

- "What ?!" Raphael pushed. With the wind, the captain thought he had misheard. But when Iracuz repeated the same thing, he suddenly stopped the cavalry.

Something was wrong. It was already a miracle that the fort was built in two weeks, but now the stones had been enchanted? He was sure, the Draconic Empire had something to do with it.

As he prepared to give the order to return to report, a line of people suddenly appeared at the open door, appearing to walk directly towards them. Iracuz immediately focused his mana on his eyes.

- "... maids" he said.

Surprised and shocked, the captain narrowed his eyes and ordered his men to stay here. He then dismounted from his horse with Iracuz and three others before setting off towards the servants who seemed to be waiting for them not far from the gate of the fort.

The walk didn't take long before they reached them. In front was a fairly handsome dark-haired woman with a well-proportioned figure. Beside, a man in light leather armor like them with a sword in its scabbard to his left.

Behind them were maids according to their clothes with a mask on their face. Iracuz for his part was even more surprised when he saw the magical energy given off by the maids. Although the one released by the soldier was slightly above average, it could not be classified as extraordinary either.

Once arrived in front of them, the young woman suddenly smiled at them, bowing slightly forward with a hand on her chest.

- "Welcome to you, I am Rebecca Frya, the housekeeper of this place. Here is my bodyguard, Artiel Silk" said Rebecca, pointing to Artiel who nodded slightly in a sign of greeting. "May we know the reason for your visit?"

Immediately, the soldiers placed their fists on their hearts proudly raising their heads before the captain, Raphael spoke.

- "Erivia's Third Light Cavalry Detachment, Captain Raphael Cortez" he began, looking the young woman straight in the eye. "We came under the governor's orders following a report concerning the sanctuary ..."

The captain paused, trying to see if the two young people in front of him had any reaction, but he saw nothing. So he continued.

- "According to testimonies, something or someone seems to have destroyed the barrier. Do you know anything about this?" he asked before quickly adding. "May I ask you where you are from and what are you doing here? We haven't had any reports of your fort being here, how long have you been here?"

Rebecca smiled again before stepping aside. The other maids suddenly started walking and forming two lines with a path in the center towards the fort.

- "I can not answer your questions, but my master will certainly be able to" she said, inviting the captain to come forward with a wave of the hand. "Follow me" she finished walking followed by Artiel.

A little hesitant, Raphael turned to the soldiers behind.

- "Go tell the others to stay here, if I haven't come back in an hour, go back to Erivia to make your report" he whispered.

The soldiers nodded and then ran towards the other horsemen. Iracuz for his part stayed with his brother. His ability to see mana in an enchanted fort was critical.

After that, the two brothers set off and followed Rebecca and Artiel, surrounded by the strange, silent and masked maids.

Inside the large central tower, Isaac had set out to decorate the walls, floor and ceiling while waiting for his apprentices to manage the riders. It was only recently that he considered Artiel an apprentice, after living long enough he had enjoyed his cooking immensely.

Also, he began to teach him to feel the mana around him, especially after discovering his evolution. There was still a lot that Isaac didn't know about magic or mana circuits, but he hoped to find out one day.

In the first place, he turned the soil from earth to rock by removing all the herbs and created a tiling by lightly coloring the stones and forming geometric designs in the same way he created runes.

After that, he set out to do the same with the walls and the ceiling, creating original reliefs and rather simple decorations. Following this, he created very large openings in the walls. Windows of sorts that can be closed by a simple pressure of mana via a barrier.

Once done, he created simple stone furniture with a large, exquisite table engraved with multiple designs at the end of which he erected a prominent chair far too large for himself. Around, he grew plants and gave them a chair shape before growing moss which he dried to make them comfortable. He did the same for his 'throne'.

Once the chairs and tables were built, he created 4 more golems but this time much more detailed and decorated. He posted two in front of the front door and two inside on each side.

Finally, he ended up creating a fire rune creating a source of light illuminating the interior a little better as well as a source of heat. Satisfied with his job, Isaac finally sat down in his throne and waited quietly as he watched through the walls via his mana vision Rebecca and Artiel enter.

He had barely had time to sit down when the golems marched inside, took the handles of the large front door and opened it.

- "Monsignor Isaac, Raphaël Cortez, cavalry captain of the Kilguana kingdom, requires an audience" announced Rebecca, bowing.

Behind her, the two brothers waited patiently further, looking discreetly through the door. Deep down, they could see Isaac in his white clothes and his hood over his head, only showing his face with pure and delicate features.

In a calm and soft voice, Isaac answered.

- "Bring them in."

Immediately, the two men entered followed closely by Artiel with serious eyes and Rebecca smiling. The two golems then closed the door. Raphael came to bow before getting up.

- "It is an honor to be able to meet you, Monsignor ... I understood that you were the master of the place?" he asked.

- "Correct. May I know the reason for your visit to my domain?" Isaac replied immediately with a smile on his face giving Raphael a chill.

The captain was not very comfortable, by the strange inscriptions running through the room, the rune on the ceiling but above all, the wide eyes of his trembling brother. "Something is wrong ..." he thought.

- "Oh my! Are you very cold?" Isaac asked, looking at Iracuz.

No response came from the currently frozen young man, his gaze fixed on Isaac who was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Did he see a ghost or what ?! Don't tell me he sees my ears…" he thought as he touched his hood. "Hold on..."

Isaac came to squint his eyes before activating his mana vision. Raphael noticed the action and in particular the shining eyes of their interlocutor and put his hand on his sword, attracting the attention of Artiel.

- "A mage ?" Isaac asked suddenly upon seeing Iracuz's mana circuits. "You are a mage, aren't you?"

Raphael couldn't believe it. Had he identified that his brother had a gift for magic just by looking at him? For her part, Rebecca was just as surprised but not for the same reasons. She had known for a long time that her master had an innate gift for observing mana circuits.

She was not yet experienced enough to see other people's vessels in detail and could only guess without really understanding. She had already cast a vision to see if the two men had something fishy. She had indeed felt that he emitted a vaguely different aura, but the mistake she had made was to compare it with that of Isaac by taking him as the model of a 'normal' mage. Indeed, taking him as a model, Iracuz's aura seemed insignificant.

Immediately, Artiel and Rebecca redoubled their vigilance. They had probably made a mistake in bringing a mage in front of their master. Rebecca clutched her wand in her sleeve as Artiel came to put his hand on his sword.

In an instant, the tension in the room rose several notches.