"Soreno has been caught, but that isn't the end of our troubles. Quite the opposite-it's only the beginning."
After they returned, Antonia gave Roland a general account of what had happened, looking deeply troubled.
On reflection, Soreno had really been remarkably careful about how far he went. From beginning to end, he had never casually crossed the line.
Strictly speaking, his greatest offense was not even harming civilians, but leaking secrets on the Magic Network, raising suspicions of collusion with foreign powers and selling intelligence.
He had boldly tested the boundaries of the law, not out of kindness or respect for it, but to pit his intellect against the rules.
Moreover, as an accomplished and distinguished mage, he was already exempt from considerable criminal liability.
Antonia could already foresee the trouble that would follow if Soreno was not killed this time.
Yet even knowing that, there was little he could change.
The consequences of killing Soreno without authorization would be even more serious.
Roland understood what he meant and nodded gravely.
Sure enough, just as they had expected, once word of the incident began to spread, the esteemed, high-ranking Grand Mages on the Committee started testing the waters. Some even wanted to contact Soreno and inquire about the arcane discoveries he had made.
Although Roland and Antonia promptly blocked these attempts, these were secrets concerning ascension to godhood and immortality. Anyone who obtained them could rise to the heights in a single step.
Judging from the information currently available, Soreno's method of awakening divinity was far more reliable than Gallo's approach, which left his mind affected by his Lich body and consequently bound by his phylactery.
Anyone ambitious enough could even combine the divinity and divine fire involved to explore an entirely new path of his own.
They were all