I am a mage, with an infinite mana bar!

Lynn was quite surprised to learn that Eli's grandfather was a Grand Duke.

In the Kingdom of Assassin, those who can be called Grand Dukes are extremely rare. Their status must be that of the best among dukes, and they must possess prestige, wealth, and even connections with the Mage Tower.

Why would someone of such high status have his son, Count Lawrence Frey, willingly settle in the city of Roan, far from the capital?

This place is neither wealthy nor has much magical mineral deposit to be found; its only redeeming feature is its relatively peaceful and tranquil living environment.

"Miss Eli's father, Lawrence Frey, is the second son of the Grand Duke. However, judging from public opinion, the Grand Duke seems to favor his youngest son."

Luke took a sip of his wine and continued, "I often hear this kind of talk in the capital: 'Count Frey looks at least seven or eight parts like his father!'"

"Could it be that Earl Lawrence Frey, disheartened by the power struggle between his brothers, chose to come to live in Roan City?" Lynn guessed.

Luke smiled. "You're half right. He is indeed disheartened, but not because he has any grudges against his father or brothers."

"Who is that because of?"

Luke slowly raised a thumb, on which was a square ring of molten gold, exuding an air of nobility.

He pointed his finger upwards, but said nothing.

Lynn's expression changed, and he immediately understood what he meant.

Eli's father, Count Lawrence Frey, chose to come to Roan because he was disappointed with the king.

Luke raised the corners of his mouth and continued, "Count Frey obtained the title of count at a young age and soon married a half-elf noblewoman. They had two sons and two daughters, and Miss Eli was their fourth child."

"Aren't you surprised that Miss Eli is a half-elf?"

Lynn was speechless. Was there anything particularly surprising about this? Elves were rare, but not to the point of being extremely rare, were they?

As far as he knew, many members of the various mage towers were elves.

Given the existence of mixed-life communities, it is not surprising that humans and elves could interbreed and give birth to half-elf offspring.

"Our King has been on the throne for 120 years and is still in his prime, all thanks to his Queen, who is a beautiful angel."

Luke's lips curled up, but his eyes held no smile as he said, "They have had seven children, none of whom are of elven blood. Two of them were crown princes, but both have died of old age. Moreover, elven faces are rarely seen in the palace these days."

This... Lynn didn't know how to comment for a moment. This king lived so long, could it be that he would have to wait for his great-grandchildren to succeed him?

However, he roughly understood one thing: His Majesty the King of Assassins seemed to dislike having too many elven bloodlines among the nobles of his country.

Depending on the extent of their elven bloodline inheritance, their offspring will receive varying degrees of lifespan extension, and may even possess unique magical talents.

Was he worried that nobles with elven blood would live as long as him, thus threatening his power?

"Mr. Luke, Earl Lawrence Frey gained His Majesty's...favor because he married a woman with elven blood and gave birth to Eli? Didn't Grand Duke Frey try to stop it?"

"In fact, the Duke is said to dote on his second son and has not interfered too much. After all, in Assassinia, the elven bloodline is not so easy to pass on."

"Do you know what exactly happened between them?"

Luke spread his hands. "I'm not too sure about that, but I do know that shortly after Miss Eli's birth, her mother passed away from illness. Shortly after that, Earl Frey exchanged one-third of his fiefdom in Southeast Hall County for the fiefdom of Roan, and moved his entire family there."

"Then what about your initial statement that 'Eli is in a bad situation'?"

Lynn didn't quite understand. Since Count Frey had settled in Roan shortly after Eli's birth, far from the capital city in the east, it seemed that he was intentionally seeking a peaceful and tranquil environment, which didn't seem like a bad thing.

"Lynn, you should have heard the proverb, 'Commoners bring disaster upon themselves by possessing valuable possessions.' Count Frey's deliberate distancing may have made those in the center of power forget about him, but Miss Eli, at such a young age, has shown remarkable magical talent."

He pushed up his glasses, his tone unusually serious, "You should know how rare it is for a healing mage to awaken life magic abilities ahead of time. Moreover, I happened to meet Miss Eli at a social dance last week, and after talking with her, I learned that she is already a novice mage."

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, emphasizing, "Lynn, this is even earlier than yours."

Luke said this partly to remind Lynn to value Eli's great talent, and partly to use a peerless genius to put pressure on Lynn and make him work harder.

However, he did not expect that Lynn already knew about Eli's promotion yesterday, and that he had provided great assistance in the process.

"I'm very happy for Miss Eli," Lynn smiled, waiting for Luke to continue.

Luke glanced at him and felt that the young man's reaction was different from what he had expected. He seemed too calm. He guessed that it was because Lynn was new to the magical world and did not understand its mysteries.

Sigh, I'll have to give this kid some pointers when I have time... he thought to himself, and continued the conversation.

"In short, Miss Eli's magical talent destined her to go far in the future. Roan City is not her final destination, and the path of a noblewoman's development is nothing more than three paths: inheritance, career, and marriage."

"The succession in the Frey family is not fixed. When the patriarch intends to designate an heir, he will gather the eligible children together for a special selection ceremony."

Selection... Lynn recalled that when he first met Eli and he treated her for the poison that sucked the monster, he had vaguely heard her say something similar.

"Like other families, children who are not selected can inherit part of the land and property, but they must be forced to leave home and run their own businesses. Most of these noble children will flock to the capital, crowd around the royal family, prove their worth, create sensational achievements, and try every means to win the favor of our King, thereby winning titles, fiefs and power."

"If you can't build a decent career, but you're good at things involving men and women, or you're lucky, you can still hope to find a capable spouse."

"Of course, the value of each of these three doors diminishes significantly, while the difficulty increases considerably with each level you pass through."

"But unfortunately, your friend, Miss Eli Frey, had both of the back doors blocked from the very beginning."

"As a half-elf, a hybrid with both human and elven blood, she was bound to be looked down upon by the king, which would lead to setbacks in her career and marriage."