Black fumes oozed out of his orifices, Aiden's eyes widening in surprise.
"Miasma…" Aiden exclaimed.
For miasma to ooze from a being other than a demon meant they were under its spell.
"No!! …" Realizing something, Aiden tried to put out his flames, but the damage was already done.
The Marquis began to convulse, eyes rolling to the back of his head as black tears dripped from them.
Black fumes, dense, almost liquidized, dripped out of his orifices.
Aiden panicked as he knew what this was.
This was a demon's spell, a binding spell used by demons to control humans, either to erase memories, manipulate thoughts or desires, or for whole or partial possession.
Whatever the case, when one is under such a spell, trying to break it will lead to the death of the host. Only possessing light magic, a variant of fire magic could save them, which Alaric did not possess.
If the Marquis dies in his carriage, he will be blamed.
Tried for killing the Marquis, who all knew was responsible for presenting the Tear of Poseidon, which had caused all this chaos.
Aiden knew the repercussions of this man's death and didn't want any of it.
Even if he was a Duke, this was something that could bring him down.
"Flames as clear as the sky, as serene as the sea, cleanse, burn, and purify the unclean. Flames do not destroy gold but purify it…" He chanted, his blue flames coiling around his body like snakes, the blue brilliance fluctuating between white and blue.
The laws he proclaimed and affirmed combined with it.
The blue flames shot towards the convulsing Marquis, enveloping the entirety of his being.
Unlike his hellflames, the blue flames should have burnt him to ashes, yet they didn't.
The black fumes began to wriggle uncontrollably, shaking in an unnatural and horrific manner as they were attacked by Aiden's blue flames.
Flames of purification, the law he had imbued in it.
As a fifth-resonance mage, the perk was attributing laws with one's element.
Laws that corresponded with the element, following principles that shouldn't work in normal circumstances, but with the power of the fifth resonance, the element acts as one willed.
Just as fire purifies gold, it can be made to purify wood, burning off the impurities while leaving the wood in perfect condition.
Something which should be impossible made possible with the power of laws.
If not for his increase in power during his fight with the spirit of Posiden, he wouldn't have been able to pull off such a feat.
The flames raged on, burning the miasma from the Marquis's body.
After a couple of seconds, the Marquis regained consciousness, his curious gaze staring at Aiden, who looked at him expectantly.
"Duke, what is wrong?" The Marquis couldn't help but ask as he noticed Aiden's expression.
It had worked far better than he had thought, as the Marquis looked younger, slightly younger, his skin firmer, visible black spots and wrinkles shrinking.
The flames were a true purifier.
"Tell me what happened." Aiden didn't dwell on the effects of his new power.
He needed answers, and now that the miasma was out of the Marquis's body, he could remember everything that had led him to bringing the Tear of Poseidon to Alaric's birthday.
"Duke, yes, the Royal family gave me the Tear of Poseidon…" The Marquis began, Aiden's eyes narrowing as he listened to the whole story.
…
Several hours later, they returned back to the dukedom, Raika, who had been preparing to leave for the Elven Kingdom, confused.
"Why did you return…?" She asked curiously as Aiden entered the room.
"I am sorry." Aiden hugged her.
"It was my fault. I thought doing things differently from my father would be better, but that led to this."
"Huh?" Raika was taken aback.
Aiden was one to apologize when he was wrong, but never when it came to his father.
"I don't get what you are saying…"
"I am going to make things right. They looked down on me because of my benevolence, well, no more…"
"What do you mean…?" Raika looked at him, confused.
She had never seen Aiden make such a cold expression.
New winds ready to blow over the central continent of the world of Chroma.
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Several weeks later.
The rumor that Raika had cuckolded the Patriarch, its fruit the blue-haired Alaric, spread far and wide.
Some even believed the father of Alaric to be the Marquis.
Those who were present knew the truth, but they didn't feel the need to clarify.
No one liked Raika anyway, and as for the Patriarch, they believed he wouldn't react to such a rumor as it didn't really cause any harm.
"He is hosting another banquet," the plump, deep orange-haired woman said to her friend as she opened an invitation letter.
A letter inviting them to a banquet, but unlike most banquets, the theme wasn't clear.
It just requested their presence.
"I bet they are going to talk about Raika's infidelity," she added with a mocking grin.
"You know that rumor is false. We both saw his hair when he was born…" The crimson-haired lady reprimanded her friend, the latter only shrugging.
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In the Agni Dukedom, the main estate.
Valentin Agni anchored his staff onto the stone floor, muttering inaudible words under his breath.
Responding to his actions, the stone floor cracked, spiderweb fissures diverting from the point of impact.
Magma boiled underneath the cracks, quickly rising into a titan made of lava, but as quickly as it formed, it collapsed into a puddle of lava, flowing everywhere.
"I am almost there," Valentin said to himself, teeth gritted as he remembered the blow he took from Aiden during Alaric's banquet.
His forearms still aching as the memories resurfaced.
He knew Aiden was stronger than him, but not by that much, that being the first time they had fought.
He was now made painfully aware of his standing, understanding how weak he was compared to his rival.
"That weak-willed bastard, you wait…"
"Duke, please, you have a letter." His butler bowed as he entered the training field, a red letter in hand.
He took it from him, a wicked grin blooming as he read its contents.
"You want to make a fool of yourself again." The letter erupted in flames, an invitation letter to Aiden's banquet.
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In a dark room, the silhouette of a woman sat.
"What is the meaning of this banquet? Isn't he supposed to follow the script like always?" an annoyed voice sounded from the telephone, a male's voice, elderly and clearly noble from his accent.
"I don't know what he is thinking, but there is no need. This dukedom will fall no matter what," the woman said with confidence.
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The day of the banquet.
The mansion, which had been destroyed during the last banquet, was fixed.
It once again filled with people, this time more than the last.
Some were even outside, the majority of those outside journalists, each holding onto a recording stones, large rectangular boxes engineered by wind and earth mages to record sound via a disc, like a phonograph, just more precise.
"Welcome to this banquet. I thank you for honoring me with your visit." Aiden smiled as he addressed the crowd.
"I would like to announce that the Dukedom of Vulcan will now be an independent nation from the Royal Family of Dominus." He announced, the crowd silent.
They were all shocked, speechless, eyes wide as they looked at the Patriarch, but before anyone could collect themselves and even question what they were hearing…
" Your greed knows no bounds, you made yourself my enemy so see you on the battlefield"
___________
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This was a short transition arc, I am sorry you have yet to see our protagonist, he will debut in the chapters the come.
A/N
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