No sooner had Stofen finished speaking than Phylia's head exploded.
Leo felt nothing over Phylia's death.
After all, Leo had come here to kill Phylia.
However, Leo noticed that even at the moment of death, Phylia's face was still filled with confusion and incomprehension.
Was this Augusta's method?
A deep wariness toward the Tower Master rose in Leo's heart once more.
After Phylia died, Stofen's mental energy fell silent, as though he were either deep in thought or simply wordless.
After a long silence, Stofen finally said, "I still underestimated the foundation Augusta accumulated while he was a First-Circle Wizard."
"When Augusta recommended Phylia to me back then, he did not say anything himself. He merely used a Prophecy Studies spell to bring Phylia before me, and he deliberately left traces of that Prophecy Studies spell within Phylia's body, so I would know that Phylia had been recommended by him."
"At the time, Phylia displayed considerable talent in Bloodline Modification. He had mastered a Combination Spell from Bloodline Modification, yet I failed to notice that beneath that talent lay a Bloodline Modification knowledge foundation riddled with holes."
"Phylia was like a beautifully wrapped piece of chicken ribs."
"On the surface, he looked exceptionally rare, but inside, he was merely an ordinary Wizard with talent mediocre to the extreme."
Leo merely listened from the side without speaking. This concerned two Formal Wizards; it was not something he could comment on casually.
"Leo..."
Stofen's gaze fell upon Leo.
He seemed to be weighing his words.
After a while, Stofen finally asked, "Do you know when I began guarding against Augusta?"
Leo shook his head. "Mentor Stofen, that is not something I can presume to speculate upon."
Stofen smiled. "You really are quite cautious. Even though we are outside the Tower of Dawn