"Siren's Song?" Leo frowned and asked, "Wizard Nova, is this a wizard spell?"
"No, this is the Bloodline Ability of the magical creature known as the Mandrake Siren," Nova explained.
"The Mandrake Siren is a magical creature from the Crimson Sea. Their songs are dangerous; they can easily make those who hear them become stubborn and crazed."
"These knights encountered Mandrake Sirens before and heard their songs. That is why they have now fallen into this frenzied state."
"It is not just these few. The other knights on this ship have also been affected by the Siren's Song, including the two of you, Knight Aifel and Knight Kairila."
Hughes jumped in fright and said, "Wizard Nova, what about Danville and me? Have we also been affected by the Siren's Song?"
Nova said, "The Mandrake Siren's song mainly targets mental energy, so its effect on wizards is relatively weak."
Hearing that, Leo pointed the longsword formed from Arcane Hand at Aifel and Kairila.
Since they had been affected too, did that mean he should kill them outright?
That movement frightened Aifel and Kairila badly.
Aifel and Kairila hurriedly said, "Wizard Danville, we're fine. We really aren't under anyone's control."
Seeing that their eyes were clear, Leo did not withdraw Arcane Hand. Instead, his gaze swept over the other knights.
As a result, he found that aside from the few knights who had attacked him earlier, the others did indeed have clear eyes and seemed to be fine.
Nova said, "Don't worry, Danville. The effect of the Siren's Song on them is not too strong. As long as their will is even slightly firm, they will not be affected. For Grand Knights, the effect is even weaker."
Hearing that, Leo slowly lowered the Arcane Hand sword.
Still, Leo did not fully trust Nova's words. His fingertips twitched, and a Prismatic Dragon Scale appeared between them.
With the Prismatic Dragon Scale Codex, Leo could make simple use of this Prismatic Dragon Scale's abilities.
Leo discovered that the Prismatic Dragon Scale did not react to Knight Aifel or Knight Kairila.
But when it faced John and the other knights who had attacked him, the Prismatic Dragon Scale clearly detected malice.
Only then did Leo confirm that Nova was telling the truth.
Seeing Leo lower his sword, Aifel and Kairila both breathed a sigh of relief. They had no desire to fight someone like a god of war. That would be suicidal.
Aifel breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked at the subdued knights, he nervously asked, "Wizard Nova, how long will it take for this Siren's Song to be lifted?"
Nova said, "For those who have already been affected, if the source is not dealt with, it will never fade on its own."
"Then do you have a way to forcibly remove this Siren's Song?"
Nova answered with certainty, "Yes."
Before joy could appear on Aifel's face, he heard Nova say, "But it costs one hundred Magic Stones per person."
"There are six people here, so that is six hundred Magic Stones in total."
Hearing that, Aifel said with a bitter smile, "Wizard Nova, you're making things too difficult for me. I am only the captain of a small knight squad. Where am I supposed to find so many Magic Stones?"
"Then throw them into the sea to feed the fish," Nova said. "Or find another First-Rank Wizard Apprentice willing to save them without charging Magic Stones."
"We wizards follow the principle of equivalent exchange. If you cannot pay the Magic Stones, solve it yourself."
Nova spoke with an indifferent expression.
Hearing that, a trace of struggle flashed through Aifel's eyes. Then he waved his hand and asked, "Wizard Nova, can you let them regain consciousness for a short while?"
Although John and the others were insignificant ants in Nova's eyes, they were valuable fighting strength to the knight order.
Nova said, "Yes. That is simple. Ten Magic Stones will do."
Aifel breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, I'll pay."
He could still afford ten Magic Stones.
After Aifel gave Nova ten Magic Stones, Nova did not appear to do anything, yet the six knights regained consciousness.
The moment they came to, they all looked utterly miserable.
"My god, what crazy thing did I just do? I actually attacked a wizard."
"I must have gone insane. I actually lost my mind and attacked a wizard."
John also looked at Leo in despair and said, "Danville, believe me. Attacking you just now was not my intention!"
Leo said nothing.
Judging from what Nova had said earlier,
if these people did not pay the Magic Stones, they were basically not far from death.
However, Leo took out the Prismatic Dragon Scale again.
The Prismatic Dragon Scale, which had previously sensed malice from John and the other six, did not react this time.
Seeing that Aifel had not gotten to the point, Nova reminded him, "This spell can only keep them lucid for five minutes. If you have questions, ask them quickly."
Aifel walked over to the knights and said, "Gentlemen, I know your minds must still be in turmoil, but I have no choice but to say this."
"I have a way to save you, but saving you will require each of you to pay one hundred Magic Stones. You must sign contracts promising to earn one hundred Magic Stones in the future to cover this expense. Although I am a Grand Knight, I cannot possibly bear such a large Magic Stone expense for you."
Leo asked curiously, "Wizard Nova, is one hundred Magic Stones a huge expense for knights?"
Nova nodded and said, "Of course. You should know that Wizard Seedlings like you only pay one hundred Magic Stones in annual tuition to the Tower of Dawn, yet many Wizard Seedlings regretfully leave the Tower of Dawn because they cannot afford the tuition and are unable to become wizards."
"For knights, it may take them several decades to earn that many Magic Stones."
Leo understood as well.
Knights had always held a lower status than wizards.
Chris and Molly had found it so difficult to earn one hundred Magic Stones. For these knights, it was surely even harder.
"But that only applies to Ordinary Knights," Nova said. "For Grand Knights, or knights of even higher status, one hundred Magic Stones is still affordable."
Over here, when John and the other six knights heard that they would need to pay one hundred Magic Stones to return to normal, every one of them fell into hesitation.
One hundred Magic Stones meant they would have to become Grand Knights before they could repay it.
But becoming a Grand Knight was not so easy.
John's eyes were clear, and a trace of resolve flashed through them as he said, "Danville."
Leo looked at John and said, "Yes, John."
"What kind of person am I in your eyes?"
Leo answered without hesitation, "...A stranger."
If John had not appeared before him, Leo might even have forgotten there was such a person.
"A stranger... So in your eyes, from the very beginning, I was merely a passerby with no presence..."
John gave a bitter smile.
He felt that if Leo had called him a clown, he might have felt a little better.
But Leo had never paid attention to him at all.
John said, "Knight Aifel, I have made my decision."
"Give me the sword."
Aifel's expression changed when he heard that. "John, you can keep thinking it over."
"No need. I have already made my decision."
Before you continue