I am a mage, with an infinite mana bar!

"Lynn, you must be careful."

Before leaving, Rumi quietly spoke to Lynn while Luke and Barton were discussing something.

Lynn looked up at him, somewhat puzzled.

"Mr. Barton is alright, but Mr. Luke is no good..."

"Is there some misunderstanding between you and Mr. Luke?" Lynn asked in a low, discreet voice.

Rumi's voice trembled: "If you had seen him interrogate that orc, you would...you would have found it terrifying."

After giving Lynn his warning, he mounted his horse and sped off towards Luo'an City.

"Let's go too," Luke said, leading Gray and the four of them on foot along the main road.

There are many wastelands on the outskirts of Luo'an City, with weeds growing everywhere along the roadside, and occasionally you can see children herding cattle and sheep.

The occasional mounds of earth, along with the dense thickets of mixed trees, make it somewhat manageable during the day when there is plenty of light, but at night, when a group of people are hiking in the wilderness, they are easily ambushed.

Therefore, they managed to stay at an inn in a village along the road before dark.

These rural inns were prepared to accommodate traveling merchants, and naturally could not be compared with inns in towns, but fortunately they were still quite clean.

"Three rooms. Mr. Barton and I will take turns watching over Gray, how does that sound?"

Luke's suggestion was reasonable, and Barton did not object, only nodding silently.

He was actually somewhat dissatisfied. Luke's behavior along the way had been too casual, like a noble young master on a leisurely trip.

Even the task of controlling Gray was relinquished to him by Gray, who claimed to be "mentally exhausted and in need of rest."

However, Barton had recently returned to work in Roan City because of Luke's efforts, so he couldn't say much.

"Then I'll leave the orc in your care, Mr. Barton. I'll go back and rest now." Luke said, and left without waiting for Barton's reply.

Seeing that Barton's expression was not good and that he was about to lose his temper, Lynn quickly and wisely walked away.

Back in his room, he felt uneasy and paced back and forth for a few minutes, unable to calm down. Then he noticed that the door had opened silently.

"Don't be nervous, it's me," Luke said in a low voice.

He had taken off his coat and was wearing only a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up when he walked in silently.

He casually waved his hand, and a trace of magic flowed through the room, quickly spreading out a thin film-like substance that merged into the wall.

"A soundproof barrier," he explained with a smile to Lynn, who was staring at him with a puzzled look.

Lynn kept her eyes fixed on him until she saw Luke casually pull over a chair, cross his legs, and sit down. Only then did she finally relax.

"Mr. Luke, is there anything I can help you with?"

Luke looked up and smiled, "Lynn, I have a few questions I'd like to discuss with you about the enemy we encountered today."

Lynn was puzzled. As the president of the association, Luke was always decisive in his actions, so there was no reason for him to consult with him specifically.

Besides, Barton is still here, isn't he? As senior mages and members of the association's management, wouldn't it be better for them to discuss things together?

"I think your ideas are very important," Luke said frankly. "To be honest, if you hadn't spotted the problem with that horse this afternoon, I might have overlooked a lot of things."

"It now appears that although the enemy's identity is unknown, their purpose is very clear: to slow us down and keep us stuck in the area between Roan City and Colin Town."

"Being far from the Magic Association and the Mage Tower, and unable to receive timely support, is the most disadvantageous situation for us."

"But this kind of arrangement is very normal, and I would do the same if I were in that situation."

"Therefore, I cannot determine their numbers or their planned attack at this time."

Luke changed his posture, raising his other long leg.

"So I sent a scout to verify these facts for me."

"Rumi?" Lynn was somewhat surprised; he didn't think Rumi was clever enough to act as a scout.

Luke raised the corners of his lips. "I placed a surveillance spell on that kid. If he makes it to Roan City alive, it means the enemy's attention has shifted away from him."

"And just now, I received this good news."

He seemed genuinely happy that Rumi had survived, and continued:

"However, I think this doesn't mean Mr. Rumi was worthless, but rather that they simply didn't have the time to deal with him anymore."

Lynn frowned. "In other words, their more urgent goal is to launch a surprise attack than to prevent us from getting support."

"This means that they have limited manpower and are not enough to engage in a direct confrontation with us, which would lead to a protracted struggle and bring more variables."

"Moreover, their goal should be very simple: not to take Gray away, but to kill him outright."

Luke nodded. "Grey really doesn't have any more value."

"However, assassinating Gray is still very difficult for them," Lynn said. "Mr. Barton is a protective mage; with his protection..."

He abruptly stopped speaking, because he suddenly felt a chill from the ambiguous smile on Luke's face.

"Mr. Luke, are you doubting Mr. Barton?"

Luke maintained his smile and said calmly, "This is precisely a good opportunity to verify it."

Rather than trying to expose the person behind Gray's scheme, he was actually more concerned with maintaining the integrity of his own organization.

After all, no matter how cunning an enemy is, he is no greater threat than a friend who attacks you from behind.

Lynn fell silent. The thought had crossed his mind when he discovered the reason for the horse's madness that afternoon, but he quickly dismissed it out of trust in the old man.

In this silence, time seemed to pass extremely slowly.

Then a very faint sound came from the next room, as if someone had sneaked in through the window.

Lynn immediately stood up, wanting to go and help Barton.

But Luke stopped him.

"Wait a little longer."

A moment later, there was a loud bang, followed by Old Man Patton's roar.

"who!?"

Immediately afterwards, a fierce fight broke out, with sounds like swords striking metal.

The attacker turned out to be a swordsman.

Lynn could imagine without even looking that the defensive mage had limited offensive means, but its strength lay in its impenetrable defense until its magic power was exhausted.

At this point, Patton was likely just passively taking hits and would find it difficult to launch a counterattack.

Remembering the old man's previous care for him, he finally couldn't hold back and rushed out of the room.

Luke immediately followed.

Lynn pushed open Barton's door and saw that, just as he had expected, the old man was leaning against Gray, holding up a magical barrier to defend against the attack.

He looked rather disheveled; a corner of his robe was torn to shreds, and blood was even flowing from his arm.

The attacker, wielding a longsword, swung it repeatedly, sending up streaks of blinding white light.

The man wasn't wearing a mask; he was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, none other than the cook who had set up a stall in the countryside that afternoon.

Unexpectedly, he was not only a skilled cook but also an exceptional swordsman.

To be able to contend with a seasoned mage, one must have reached the level of a seasoned warrior.

Lynn had already begun inscribing the spell on his way here. Now, as he waved his staff, a thick black mist instantly enveloped the man.