She knew perfectly well that this place was under surveillance-wasn't that how Mage Towers worked? They claimed to offer freedom, but everything was monitored.
She had spent so many Magic Crystals so conspicuously that if Kroya still failed to notice anything unusual, the Northern Frontier couldn't amount to much.
A faction's control over its own territory was a crucial measure of its capabilities.
However...
A few seconds later, a clear voice rang out:
"Lady Evelyn, you really did guess wrong."
"If you hadn't called for Tree Teacher and granted him permission, he would never have looked inside your private space.
That's a rule I established for the Northern Frontier."
The voice paused, seeming to draw closer from afar.
One moment, it was high in the distant sky; the next, it sounded behind Evelyn. "But you have indeed been under my surveillance since you entered the Northern Frontier."
Evelyn immediately shuddered in alarm and hurriedly turned around.
The master of the Northern Frontier, the Reef Duke, a knight of the Holy Kingdom, and a friend to the merfolk and Elves stood behind her, watching her with a smile.
"..."
What sort of spatial magic was this? She hadn't sensed any fluctuations in mana. In a battle between mages, that was practically impossible.
If she couldn't detect an enemy's mana fluctuations, she would lose the initiative completely in battle. One could even say she would lose any chance of victory.
A trace of wariness rose within her.
The archmage frowned slightly. "Mage Kroya, appearing behind another mage like this... is a provocation."
Most mages had a rather poor sense of security. If Kroya appeared behind a more aggressive mage like this, they might start fighting on the spot.
Kroya merely smiled, unconcerned.
"If you'd like to offer me some instruction, I'd be