Making use of a ''big name''

20 minutes later, Just outside the gates of the Mages' Association building.

Aren, in his dark cloak, came out and stood at the gates while holding his head with one of his hands. That harrowing experience was still fresh on his head. Maybe that might be the reason why only a few apprentices usually go outside from Magicwoods district.

While he waited, the pain gradually lessened which made it easier for him to think again. 'She might have just guessed that I'll be here at this time after listening what I asked her... As for the reason she personally wanted to meet me, It would also have to do with how I saved Katty.'

With how he pointed out that he'd saved her apprentice, it was natural for Monica to connect the dots and figure out that something might really have happened in the test. It would seem that she took great care in the matters of her apprentice, by how she would like to personally hear about the account of what happened from him.

After he finished making his conjectures, it didn't take long for Monica to come.

Aren turned around and looked at the tall, beautiful woman coming towards him. If she wasn't wearing that mysterious purple robe and didn't have a wand on her hand, Aren would have certainly believed that she was just another beautiful noblewoman.

Stopping before him, she didn't say anything and just beckoned him to follow her. Although Aren was ready to greet her, as she didn't talk, he took the hint, also shut his mouth and started walking behind her.

After leaving Mages Association, they didn't stop anywhere. Turning left, Monica kept going straight while he tailed behind her.

After another 15 minutes passed, they were passing through an alley when Monica suddenly signalled him to stop. She then started swinging her wand while whispering the words which he totally didn't understand. As she finished chanting the incantations, pointed the tip of her glowing wand in his direction and cast that spell.

Immediately after, he sensed with his spiritual power that he was covered by something, but couldn't see nor could he touch what it was. She then again cast the same spell on herself and after the wand stopped glowing, she finally uttered two words, "Follow me."

'Just where is she taking me...? Eh, isn't this...'

After coming out from the alleyway, he saw that they were standing before an inner wall. It was apparently the wall separating northern district from the central district. There was also an entrance to the northern district some 20 meters away from where they... no, from where he was standing. Monica seemed to have already gone ahead of him.

Aren ran and came beside her while he looked at some people loitering around the gate. However, with two intimidating guards guarding the entrance, they couldn't pass through no matter how much they lingered there.

As Aren and Monica got closer to the entrance, he noticed that from the start they had emerged from the alley, those two guards hadn't looked at them even once. It was as if they didn't see them at all.

Even after they passed through the entrance and entered the district, it's guards were only paying attention to others.

'Was that earlier spell...'

After they reached a little farther, Monica started saying as if she knew his thought process.

"Yes, I casted an invisibility spell on both of us. Even as a rank 1 auxiliary spell, it is effective on rank 2 guards. Still, we would be found out by any ordinary rank 1 mage though. So it isn't very useful against mages as they can sense its caster with their spirit."

'Even so, it is an amazing spell to have.' Aren couldn't help but be amazed at the thought of being invisible in the eyes of others. How awesome would it be if he could finish his opponents without them even knowing where he was? It could also be used to spy on opponents...

While he thought of the various uses this spell would have in a fight against non-casters, Aren was led to a large mansion by Monica.

The structure seemed to be built very recently as the Mansion was a huge contrast to the surrounding large houses, which were like old paintings against a colourful photo, if compared to it. There were no weeds growing near it and the meadow around the land where it stood was also trimmed nicely.

'It looks like this place is maintained very well... As expected of a district where only filthy rich live, it certainly is up to the standards.'

Entering inside, Aren didn't get to observe the layout of the Mansion before he and Monica got to the living room or what Aren supposed it was.

Sitting on a large couch, Aren's gaze fell on the strange equipments lying about on a table far away. He recognized some of the elemental refining containers there. Water element was bubbling inside them.

Books and feather pens were also spread out on the floor, along with different sized wooden boxes upon boxes stacked upon eachother which gave the room an air of mystery to it.

Monica squatted beside one bunch of stacked boxes and pulled out a small box from them which was lying at the bottom most area.

Cleaning the dust that had accumulated on its surface with a cloth she picked up, She pulled a nearby chair beside her and placed the box on a table near them as she sat down.

Crossing her thighs, she made herself comfortable on her seat and asked Aren.

"First, tell me what happened to Katty in the test."

'I knew she would ask me!'

Aren then quickly narrated what happened since the first day from his perspective until when he killed that apprentice. He elaborately explained how the vision came true and how Katty was nearly killed.

He also told her everything about him and Katty killing that apprentice and how that apprentice coerced Katty to go to the Settlement of Ogres. He didn't hide the fact that he was marked by a greater mage just after he killed that apprentice who practiced forbidden magic.

If there was one thing that he didn't tell her, it would of course be the anticlockwise spinning of rune. He instead made up a reasonable excuse on how he narrowly saved Katty from being smashed by the Ogre.

The reason he held off from telling her the complete truth wasn't because he wanted to be secretive, but because it was too absurd and unbelievable a thing to be told. Who would ever believe that he could rewind time by whole ten seconds? It was a ridiculous thought to even think of.

After she listened to his narration for two hours without asking any question, she leaned on the chair she was sitting on for a while.

"So that's what happened..." she muttered. Although she wasn't wholly convinced, what Aren said sounded reasonable and as nothing seemed to have happened to Katty, She trusted Aren. Of course, most of her trust was because of Katty telling her how cool big brother Aren was in the test.

Yes, before coming to meet Aren, she had already met with Katty and asked some simple questions to her. However, the answers she got were just a random mixture of ''Big brother Aren is the best!'', ''He beat that bad guy!'', ''Big brother can even taken on five apprentices alone!''.

While not wanting to think about Katty's excessive praising of him, She looked at the boy seated opposite to her and asked.

"So the ring given by the headmaster managed to restrain the marking, right?"

"Yes." He said while he'd had other thoughts in his mind.

'Now that she believes that this ring is given to me by the Headmaster, she won't be able to ask how it restrained the marking or any other questions. She also won't have any thoughts about this ring nor would she suspect me. I also doubt she would've the courage to ask the headmaster if it really was given to me by him... hehe, using that man's name in these occasions is pretty helpful alright.'