The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria reflexively pulled her hood down.

Even though it was firmly fixed, she felt uneasy.

“It was a condition not to reveal my identity when I accepted the request.”

At her firm answer, Sienna’s face twisted.

Soon, her head was spinning.

The protective barrier of the training ground was created by gathering the top-notch sorcerers of the Sorcery Office. Even during group sorcery training, it didn’t have a small crack.

Even the opponent used very basic offensive sorcery.

Sienna had learned it too, but it had been so long that she had completely forgotten.

Breaking the protective barrier with such sorcery was impossible even for Samad, Sienna’s teacher.

How could a person not affiliated with the Sorcery Office have such skills…

Sienna was curious about the identity of the unknown sorcerer to the point of madness. She wanted to reveal the identity forcibly, but with that level of skill, it would be noticed when she raised her sorcery.

‘I can’t even tell if it’s a woman or a man.’

The voice was neutral, and they were wearing a large robe so their physique was also indistinguishable.

Obviously, there was no way to know the age.

But with that level of skill, they must have trained for a long time, so they must be quite old.

As soon as Sienna opened her mouth, the door to the training ground opened.

Several sorcerers poured into the training ground.

The ones who were looking around with half their senses gone hurried to Sienna when they found her.

“Sienna!”

“Are you alright!”

Sienna, who lightly clicked her tongue, responded calmly.

“I’m fine.”

“We came because it seemed like a loud noise came from here.”

“Just a while ago, the Sorcery Office tower shook, did you feel it too?”

The sorcerers who were making a fuss as if an earthquake had occurred realized something was strange and screamed.

“My God! The barrier…!”

Belatedly realizing that the protective barrier surrounding the training ground had disappeared, they were flustered.

Even Sienna, who saw it with her own eyes, couldn’t believe it, so how bewildered they must be.

“So the earthquake earlier was the shockwave from the barrier breaking?”

“There were no external intrusion reactions.”

The eyes of the sorcerers looking for the reason why the barrier broke were fixed on Sienna.

“By any chance… was it you, Sienna?”

Sienna, who was about to say that it was obviously the person standing next to her who did it, suddenly choked on her words.

The tone carried a subtle hope, coupled with disbelief.

In their evaluating gaze, Sienna clenched her fingers.

In the Sorcery Office, countless eyes always followed Sienna.

Those who wanted to report to her father, those who wanted to compare her to her father, those who were watching for any mistakes.

Sienna had been proving her ability in this narrow and tall tower her entire life.

This incident will surely be reported to her father.

When she thought about that, Sienna involuntarily opened her mouth.

“It broke because I made a mistake.”

At Sienna’s words, someone gasped. Someone else let out an exclamation. In an instant, their eyes changed, and Sienna belatedly realized what she had said.

She regretted it, but words once said couldn’t be taken back.

Sienna’s cheeks paled.

Before the lie was discovered, she gently shooed them away.

“I have a guest right now. I will report about today’s incident, so don’t worry.”

The sorcerers who were admiring nodded with disappointed faces.

As they flowed out like ebbing tide, silence flowed.

What to do?

Now that she had lied, it was her job to cover it up. It was even more nerve-wracking because she couldn’t see the expression under the hood.

While mulling it over, Sienna started to make excuses.

“I thought if it’s known that you, an outsider, broke the barrier, everyone would be curious about your identity…”

Sienna peeped to see if they had no intention of revealing their identity.

She was feeling uneasy not seeing their face, but finally, they answered.

“Well, that’s none of your concern.”

Their voice was as calm as ever.

If she had revealed that they broke the barrier in front of the sorcerers earlier, they might have been offered to join the Sorcery Office under very high conditions.

“You covered for me, didn’t you?”

It was a blatant excuse to avoid the situation, but they generously let it pass.

Sienna was startled by the unexpected reaction.

Others would have definitely threatened her using this as leverage.

“But speaking of which…”

Their voice lowered a little.

“Can’t I compensate with the same protective barrier instead of money?”

“A protective barrier?!”

Her voice got louder in surprise.

It wasn’t just a barrier, but one created by several top-notch sorcerers gathering together.

To cast it alone…

Whether Sienna misinterpreted the reaction negatively or not, after pondering with a hum, the opponent hesitantly made a suggestion.

“Or casting a stronger barrier than the original…?”

Sienna’s pupils shivered.

If she didn’t know the opponent’s ability, she would have thought it to be absurd bragging. But the person in front seemed like they could indeed cast a high-level protective barrier.

‘Who on earth is this person… Could they really not belong to the Sorcery Office?’

Why would they work as a mercenary in the information agency?

If they joined the Sorcery Office, they would have had enormous power and wealth.

It seemed they weren’t famous as she had never heard of them…

She wondered if they had been practicing in the mountains and just came down. It was a foolish thought, but there was no other answer.

Sienna, who finally came to her senses, shook her head.

“Don’t worry about the barrier. The Sorcery Office will handle it.”

Then the opponent, who was silent for a while, nodded slightly.

Their attitude was so bland, almost indifferent, making Sienna restless.

She even liked their taciturn nature.

Others were too noisy, fawning over her.

She wanted to find more common ground with this opponent. Having a connection with such a remarkable sorcerer would definitely benefit her. To do that, she needed to know their name first.

“What is your name?”

As the silence returned, an impatient Sienna added:

“I don’t know what to call you.”

“Liri.”

“Liri…”

Sienna, who rolled the name on her tongue, smiled brightly.

“It’s a really cool name.”

It was a very common name, but it seemed special, unlike other sorcerers who wanted to be called by eccentric and boastful nicknames.

She felt like she could trust this serious-looking person.

‘I should assign the task indeed.’

With that excuse, she planned to naturally continue the meeting.

“I want to entrust you with a task.”

“I will… decline the task.”

“Why? Liri, you are competent enough.”

Sienna recalled that he had declined on the intelligence agency.

-I don’t think I have the skill to satisfy the employer.

Ah.

Sienna bowed her head, wanting to slap her past self.

“I was rude, wasn’t I? You must be upset… but I want to apologize formally now.”

“It’s okay. It happens.”

Sienna became more anxious with their tolerance.

She needed to captivate them before others realized how great this person was.

Sienna, feeling desperate with nothing to offer, sighed.

Only money was available….

With a discouraged face, Sienna made the last offer.

“I will pay ten times the amount proposed for the task.”

“What shall we find out?”

At the hearty acceptance, Sienna blinked.

She never thought they would accept… Did they change their mind suddenly?

Although strange, she couldn’t miss this opportunity. With a smooth upward curve on her red lips, Sienna whispered in response.

“Please find out everything about Laria Rohan.”