Sylas's story wasn't very long.
Sylas had once been a poor boy from a backwater town. His family was even worse off than Eno's, but even so, when his magic was discovered, his parents persuaded him to turn himself in to the Magic Seekers.
"In that respect, you were much braver than I was," Eno thought silently. "At least when I discovered I could turn the water in my cup to ice, I didn't dare turn myself in to the Magic Seekers."
After turning himself in, Sylas described his magical symptoms in detail. Unlike Eno, who could directly control frost, Sylas could see other people's magic—and that talent ultimately led the Magic Seekers to accept him as one of their own, searching for mages hidden among the populace.
"Thank goodness I never met him," Eno thought, secretly relieved. "That ability... it's terrifying."
Sylas clearly had no idea what Eno was thinking. He continued telling his story.
After becoming a Magic Seeker, he was forbidden from having contact with anyone else. He could only interact with people through his handlers. And even though he was now one of the Magic Seekers, people still feared him because he was a mage.
However, it was after he became a Magic Seeker that Sylas discovered something astonishing: magic was far more widespread than people imagined. Even the estates of noble families often shimmered with magic's distinctive glow!
"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Eno found Sylas's claim hard to believe. "Nobles can use magic?"
"I'm sure I saw it right." Sylas snorted. "They denounce mages to their faces, but when it comes to using magic themselves, they don't hesitate one bit!"
At that moment, Eno thought of the man who had forced her to use magic—Codora was exactly like that.
Though that bastard didn't seem to understand magic, he still used it.
"What happened next?" Eno didn't press the point. "Did you expose them?"
"I'm not an idiot." Sylas shook his head and smiled wryly. "Nobles and commoners aren't the same. They can use magic, but that doesn't mean I can say so. Even knowing the truth, all I could do was keep my head down and work as a Magic Seeker."
"..."
"Later, during one assignment, I found a barn brimming with magic." Sylas's voice was complicated. "I'd never seen magic that powerful. It was like a lightning storm gathering strength. So I reported it to my handler, then went into the barn."
"..."
"Inside, I saw a little girl." Sylas continued his story. "She couldn't have been more than ten—maybe not even eight—but she had more magic than I'd ever seen in my life. When she saw my blue robe, she tried desperately to rein in the arcs of electricity, hiding in a corner."
Eno still said nothing, but she wasn't nearly as calm as she seemed.
"When an underage magic user is discovered, they're usually ordered to drink a potion that suppresses magic. That stuff, mixed with Nullstone powder, tastes awful." Sylas sighed again. "But the magic inside that girl was so powerful. If she was discovered, she'd inevitably be banished. And at her age, she'd have little chance of surviving away from her family. So I wanted to let her escape first."
"..."
"I lied to my handler, but he saw through it." Sylas slowly recalled what had happened. "He tried to use Nullstone to restrain the little girl, but it failed. The lightning that had been building up exploded, completely consuming her, her father, and the handler who'd tried to catch her."
That was where Sylas's story ended.
After telling it all, he leaned against the railing, looking dejected.
Eno said nothing either.
The "boys' class" in Nullstone Prison fell silent once again.
After a long while, Eno finally spoke.
"Mr. Sylas, I'm sorry for what you've been through." The girl finally edged closer to him, cautiously. "About your past, about your pain... Though I can't fully understand what you've been through, I can still understand."
"Of course you can." Sylas gave a bitter smile. "We're the same kind of people—the kind this radiant country has forgotten and abandoned."
"No, it hasn't." Eno looked sympathetic, but shook her head firmly. "Demacia hasn't abandoned us. Just as you once became a Magic Seeker, I became friends with Miss Lux."
"You became friends with Lux?" Sylas froze for a moment, then couldn't help laughing. "Are you serious, little girl? You mean you're friends with that noblewoman?"
"That's right!" Eno nodded. "Mages just come from unfortunate circumstances, like people born with disabilities—"
"We're not disabled!" Sylas interrupted her. "Magic is a talent, not a defect. And we're not imprisoned because of magic—we're imprisoned because we're commoners!"
"What are you talking about?" Sylas's outburst took Eno by surprise. She reflexively waved a hand and argued back. "Magic is magic. Uncontrolled spells can only bring tragedy! I know that very well!"
"Only commoners' magic is called 'magic corruption'!" Sylas gritted his teeth. "For nobles, magic is just a minor problem!"
"How can that be?" Eno shook her head in disbelief. "Before, I knew a noble lord who was sentenced to hanging for using magic. His noble status only helped him avoid beheading, so he could at least leave behind an intact corpse..."
"That was because he lost a political struggle!" Sylas sneered. "The nobles are far closer to magic than you imagine. Take Miss Lux, who you think is your friend. She's a magic user too!"
"Miss Lux... a magic user?" Eno sprang to her feet. After looking around, she rolled up a book from the floor into a short stick, gripped it in both hands, and assumed a defensive stance. "How dare you slander her as a magic user?!"
"She is one!" Sylas's face twisted into a mocking expression. "I saw her sword clearly. Its hilt bears the Magic Seekers' own [Penitent's Relic]!"
"The Penitent's Relic?"
"That's right. It's a fine thing reserved for nobles. As long as you carry it, you don't have to worry about your magic getting out of control or your magic corruption being exposed." Sylas's expression grew increasingly contorted. "My handler once told me that if I served the Magic Seekers long enough, I might be allowed to use it when it became available..."
"!!!"
"She's the little princess of the Crown Guard family, isn't she?" Sylas continued to sneer. "Even nobles have their ranks. I remember that relic already had an owner—some minor noble, I think. But it didn't matter. The Crown Guard family's little princess needed it, so it could only be given to her..."
"Enough!" At last, Eno couldn't take it anymore. "Shut your foul mouth, murderer! Don't use your own wickedness to judge Lux!"
"Judge her? Hahahahahaha—Next time she comes, ask her yourself. Maybe she'll be happy to share this secret with you. Or maybe not?"
"..."
"Of course, it's far more likely she'll be horrified and never want to see you again. She might even decide to silence you herself!"
"..."
"A noble girl's friendship. Hahahahaha, that's the funniest joke I've heard in ten years. Wake up, little girl. You're not one of them!"
"..."
"Never have been!"
Before you continue