The front door swung open with a loud creak, revealing a disheveled figure who stumbled inside, gasping for breath and swaying unsteadily, barely moving at all.
This figure was in a sorry state, his coat long abandoned, hair in complete disarray, His pants ripped and one shoe missing. His face was streaked with wet marks, remnants of makeup that had run down due to the sweat pouring off him.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the man, none other than Roswaal L. Mathers, the lord of the mansion, looked as if he had just come out of a meat grinder.
He staggered through the foyer and into a hallway, finally reaching his home office, a place where all his secrets lay hidden.
With urgency, he shut the door behind him, rushed to his desk, and reached for one of the drawers. It was magically sealed with one of the most powerful spells he had cast, a Pandora's box that could only be opened by him.
If anyone else was to try, then the mansion would be reduced to rubble in moments.
The magic shimmered around it before dissipating, allowing him to open it and retrieve one of his most cherished treasures, a gift from the most significant person in his life, someone who meant more to him than anything else.
He opened the book, its cover made of dark leather, and his fingers turned the pages with a grace that contrasted sharply with his disheveled appearance, reading each line multiple times. His gaze eventually landed on the last line written in the book.
"On the fourth day of his arrival, there will be trouble at Arlamm Village. Should he head there on that day, you are to leave the mansion and observe him from a distance. If he finds himself in mortal danger, you must swoop in to save him."
He was certain the text hadn't changed since yesterday; he had memorized every word in this book.
The book spoke of the boy–The new butler at the estate, Natsuki Subaru's–kingmaker ability, the power to "Redo," to manipulate fate itself.
This book, the "Tome of Wisdom," was a precious gift from his beloved teacher and the woman he loved with all his heart, Echidna. It had the power to guide someone toward their deepest desires by following its every instruction.
It all began when it instructed him to travel to Elior Forest, where he would find a silver-haired Half-elf named Emilia, who was bound by contract to the beast of the end, Puck. He was to inform her of her candidacy, as she had been chosen by the insignia to become a dragon maiden and the future king of the dragon kingdom of Lugunica; she was crucial to his plans.
He had then been advised to hire the bowel hunter, Elsa, to eliminate the Half-elf Emilia and retrieve the insignia that marked her as a dragon maiden. Although this seemed counterintuitive, it was a strategy to draw in the individual with the power he sought.
This would also lead to the identification of the fifth candidate by this generation's current sword saint, Reinhard Van Astrea.
Roswaal anticipated that Emilia would be rescued by Reinhard, who would be informed about the situation by the boy. However, he was taken aback when the boy himself ended up saving her and defeating The bowel hunter in battle.
He confirmed this with Elsa, who appeared unfazed by her failure or the potential repercussions from her employer. In fact, she cheerfully inquired if he had another task for her, particularly one involving that boy. From the look and tone of her voice he could tell she was certainly interested in the boy.
He told her that he might have something for her in the future before breaking the conversation mirror.
The boy then came back with the half-elf and settled into the manor, choosing to work there, which delighted Roswaal as it allowed him to keep a close watch on him.
Soon, trouble arose in the village, and true to its word, the situation unfolded as described. He followed him, utilizing a combination of an invisibility spell with both yin and yang magic, along with flying magic.
The situation escalated when they found themselves surrounded by numerous Mabeasts. At that moment, Roswaal was ready to intervene and save the day, but he was caught off guard by what he witnessed.
The boy unleashed a magical spell, creating a blue sphere that absorbed everything in its vicinity, obliterating every Mabeast in its path.
This greatly captured Roswaal's interest. As the court mage who had lived for over four centuries, he had never encountered such magic before; the energy he sensed was truly otherworldly, yet powerful.
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't mana.
If the boy hadn't been the central piece to his schemes, Roswaal would have locked him away and forced him to reveal the secrets of the spell and how to replicate it.
But that wasn't an option, so his curiosity got the better of him, and he moved in closer.
This turned out to be a nearly fatal mistake.
The destructive orb shot upward, growing in power and intensity, devouring any remaining magical beasts and unfortunate living creatures in its vicinity, including him.
It took every ounce of his mana to push his flying spell to its limits, but he narrowly escaped just as the magic was about to consume him.
And it wasn't solely due to his efforts; the magic was dispelled. Had the boy not stopped the spell, he would have met his end right then and there, before he could fulfill his goal.
This realization terrified him to his core. If he had been so close to death without the boy even realizing it, what would happen if they were to fight? What other surprises did the boy have in store?
He now understood that manipulating the boy would be more challenging than ever, and he couldn't afford to provoke him, as it could jeopardize all his plans that had been in motion for four hundred years.
Roswaal, feeling defeated and physically exhausted, slumped at his desk. For the first time in centuries, he felt lost, even with the tome of wisdom by his side.
'Sensei, grant me strength…'