Sven glanced at Colt, and soon his gaze disapprovingly drifted over several patrons of the tavern. They were Vamfey knights, closely observing Sven. The reason was clear: an attempt to assassinate the beloved daughter of the Third Pillar of the Academy - Philippa de Molte, which had taken place during his own investiture ceremony. Sven engaged in a battle with Aria de Molte, almost killing her. Their duel was halted by one of the four powerful knights of the Republic - Ludwig Darien. It was precisely because of this incident that Sven was sent to Solen, his homeland. However, the desire to spar with worthy opponents always lived within him. On the day of his return, he defeated all the knights who faced him, demonstrating that he had reached the second level of the sixth rank.

Now he noticed three people, Vamfey spies who were clumsily concealing themselves. When Sven used his blood aura, all three of them reacted, unlike the other patrons of the tavern who didn't flinch and continued drinking and chatting. This gave him a chance to identify them, but he didn't want to harm them because he didn't know who was tracking him and how dangerous this pursuit might be. They might not even be Vamfey people; they were exposed too easily.

"Sigh," Sven exhaled.

He was a passionate fighter, but over the years, he had accumulated more patience than he had in his youth. He could have used more of his mana and literally forced the entire tavern to bow at his feet, but the consequences would be appropriate. He had already spent about a tenth of his mana on suppressing Felix, and increasing his magic further could lead to it spiraling out of control, potentially resulting in his death. Besides, he didn't desire to subdue these three and the entire tavern along with them. He loved this place; Noule was his favorite inn precisely because fights here were almost unofficially forbidden.

Sven turned his gaze to Christoph, who had just returned to him. He knew that Christoph had sent Felix outside the fortress. The reason was simple: Christoph needed to test Felix's abilities, and if Felix proved strong enough, Sven intended to find him himself. A lone man and a bald boy resembling Ticou were hard not to notice from a distance.

Sven smiled, anticipating the prospect of a battle...