Vaan activated his Magic Vision on Helia’s Castle and saw a tremendous amount of mana overflowing from it.
Furthermore, the mana was so concentrated that it looked like a sea.
‘This must be one of those mana gathering spells that draw in the surrounding mana to enrich a single area. Considering the sheer amount of mana coming from Helia’s Castle, the scale of the spell isn’t small either,’ Vaan mused.
Mana gathering spells were common among witches, whether used to restore their mana reserve, form new magic circles, or simply practice their magic spells and other miscellaneous professions involving vast amounts of mana.
Furthermore, they were also crucial for powering the defensive spells of any essential buildings.
‘But to set up a mana gathering spell of this scale… At least a High Witch would be required to pull it off,’ Vaan concluded.
With that thought in mind, Vaan began to wonder whether Lord Helia had a connection to a High Witch.
If not, then they must be extremely wealthy in order to commission a High Witch to set up such a large-scale mana gathering spell for them.
Vaan leaned towards the latter possibility.
A few moments later, a new witch wearing a blue battle dress soon arrived from the other side of the stone bridge to receive them.
“Apologies for the slight delay, Lady Linette and Lady Lillias. My Lady has prepared a feast in the Great Hall to receive you and the additional guest,” the blue-dressed witch informed them.
“Please follow me. I will lead you all there.”
“Alright.”
Shortly after Linette agreed, Vaan and Lillias followed the blue-dressed witch with Linette. They quickly crossed the bridge and entered the stone castle.
Despite the castle being made of stone and having endured the rain and wind since the time of its establishment, the castle remained spotless, without a single speck of grime and mold.
Its maintenance was impeccable.
The blue-dressed witch led them to the entrance of the Great Hall before she stopped to face them.
“This is as far I can go. My Lady awaits you on the other side of this door. Please enter at your will, guests of my Lady,” the blue-dressed witch politely informed them.
Shortly after the blue-dressed witch dismissed herself, Linette pushed open the doors of the Great Hall and entered with Vaan and Lillias.
A long sandalwood table covered with a clean white cloth and an assortment of lavish food laid out on top of it immediately appeared before them.
A single beautiful woman was seated on the other end of the table with a calm look, carrying an air of authority.
The woman appeared to be in her early 30s, but her age was likely much higher.
She had blue eyes that did not match her black hair, which produced an unnatural feel, and she wore a high-quality black dress of simple design.
Even someone without the slightest bit of knowledge about Lord Helia would know that the said person was precisely sitting before them.
“Welcome to my castle, Lady Linette and Lady Lillias. You both had a rough journey to reach here and must not have eaten yet,” Helia Ashenborn spoke amicably.
“Please, take a seat and join me for dinner along with the man beside you,” Helia Ashenborn gestured for them to take their preferred seating before turning to Vaan. “I’m sorry. May I know your name, young man?”
“My name is Vahn Cadieux, Lord Ashenborn,” Vaan calmly introduced himself with a gentlemanly bow as he had yet to take his seat. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”
Linetta and Lillias were also surprised to learn of Vaan’s last name. But like Helia Ashenborn, they did not recall any notable household by the name of Cadieux.
At the same time, they noticed a slight difference in the pronunciation of his first name, but they didn’t overthink it.
“Ah, I apologize if I caused a misunderstanding, Lord Ashenborn. Cadieux is just an ordinary surname. I do not hail from any noble household,” Vaan clarified.
“Oh?” Helia Ashenborn raised an eyebrow, but her gaze became slightly cold and less welcoming.
Marquis Delarosa’s eldest daughter had requested his presence. As such, Helia Ashenborn didn’t immediately kick him out or disrespect him in any way.
Nevertheless, Helia Ashenborn turned to Linetta and asked, “Who is Vahn Cadieux to you, Lady Linette?”
“He is my magic teacher and… my future betrothed,” Linetta added with hesitation after realizing she may have brought Vaan unnecessary trouble by bringing him along to meet Lord Helia.
Even so, her choice to bring Vaan to Helia’s Castle wasn’t done without reason. She wanted to borrow Lady Helia’s authority to make things easier for Vaan in Redpine City after they part.
She understood the difficulties of a man without backing in a witch kingdom.
Nevertheless, Helia Ashenborn was greatly startled to hear someone so young be Linetta’s teacher, a man no less.
“Vahn Cadieux, a man who appears no older than twenty, is your magic teacher? Is he qualified? What can a man teach you, child of Marquis Delarosa?”
“It’s no surprise that you doubt his abilities and qualifications, but I assure you that he is more than just qualified. My little sister and I wouldn’t be here if not for his wisdom and strength. So I will not stand by if you mean any disrespect to my teacher, Lord Helia.”
Linetta’s words carried a trace of threat as if she was willing to fight Helia Ashenborn over it despite their difference in power.
Nevertheless, Helia Ashenborn knew when to advance and retreat. It wasn’t worth offending the eldest child of Marquis Delarosa, even if the young lady was a little impudent towards her.
“Lady Linette has spoken too seriously. Since I, Helia Ashenborn, had invited all of you to dine with me, I will naturally not treat any of my guests with disrespect.”
“Is that so? I apologize if I had been rude, Lord Helia. I hope you understand my position. If you knew even a little bit about how great my teacher’s wisdom is, you would understand why I behave as such.”
“Never mind it. Let us not dwell on this matter,” Helia Ashenborn suggested.
“Right, let us do that,” Linetta nodded before asking, “So what is Lord Helia’s reason for inviting us?”