For the next thirty minutes, the mansion was filled with nothing but discussion.

Every possibility they could think of was raised, examined, and ultimately challenged from a different angle as they searched desperately for a solution before noon arrived.

Ethan had already explained the dangers of extracting the Beelstones from those already infected, as doing so would inevitably damage their mana pathways, which would in turn kill them.

Someone else came up with a new proposal which was to gather every infected person into a single location so that even if the demons were released and allowed to possess their victims, having those victims already gathered in one place would at least prevent them from immediately spreading throughout the city on a killing spree.

That idea, however, quickly collapsed under the realization that there simply wasn’t enough time to travel across the city, locate every victim, and bring them all back before Lord Krygon’s deadline expired.

Moreover, there was also the situation General Iroh pointed out, where not every Beelstone marked on the map was necessarily within a victim.

Many of it could simply have been hidden somewhere within the city, waiting to be used later.

That meant they couldn’t merely rush from one marked location to another. They would first have to determine whether the Beelstone had already been swallowed or was simply being stored, and that alone would consume more time than they could afford.

In the end, every strategy centered around gathering the victims proved too slow.

King Carson eventually proposed his own approach, trying to see if they would simply agree with his original idea.

Which was; rather than trying to save the victims first, perhaps they should focus on finding the best method to bring down the Demon Lord when he came for Ishtar.

Since the Beelstones had been created through his Magic, there was a reasonable chance that killing him would simply end the sorcery maintaining them.

However, aside from the fact that none of the others agreed with using Ishtar as bait, the rest of the idea also failed to guarantee success.

Because, while the Beelstones themselves were indeed magical constructs, the souls sealed inside them were not.

They were actual souls.

And even if Lord Krygon were killed, there was no guarantee the imprisoned souls would disappear with him.

If anything, destroying the one controlling the spell might simply leave those souls free to break out of their crystal prisons and possess their hosts anyway.

It was at this point that the King even began reconsidering his original plan, although it did not mean he would fail to carry it out once the final hour before noon arrived.

After all, the most plausible conclusion was that if you killed the caster, the spell would end, and at that moment, it was still the only feasible solution he could see.

The longer the discussion continued, the more frustrating it became. Every solution they proposed seemed to create new obstacles in return.

King Carson finally sighed. "I grow tired of this."

However, Ethan continued staring at the countless black dots scattered across the map.

After a few minutes, he said, "I think I know how to deal with this."

Every pair of eyes turned toward him.

"What if..." Ethan continued, "...there was a way to destroy one of these stones and have the rest destroyed as well?"

"How?" the King asked.

Ethan remained thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "It would have to work like a linking spell."

His eyes remained on the map.

"Similar to what Audrey did with those men. She linked their lives to hers so that if she died... they all died."

Valerie then spoke. "But, Master Ethan, a linking spell requires every object, or every person being linked, to be gathered into the same place first."

She looked down at the map. "The spell needs every target present before it can establish that connection."

Ethan gave a nod. "That’s how it normally works, yes, but I mean hypothetically."

He gestured with the Beelstone now in his hand.

"If every one of these stones could somehow be linked together the same way Audrey linked herself to the Family Heads..."

"...and we possessed a weapon capable of destroying not only the crystal, but the soul sealed inside it..."

He paused. "Then, hypothetically... destroying one should destroy every one of them."

The room grew quiet as everyone considered the possibility. After a few moments, they all seemed to agree with it.

King Carson then gestured. "But you’ve only presented another impossibility. As your other servant said, a linking spell requires every target to be gathered into the same magical formation first."

He looked directly at Ethan. "And even if that hurdle were somehow overcome, what weapon could possibly destroy a soul?"

A smile slowly appeared on Ethan’s face. "Actually, I know one."

Everyone looked at him as he continued. "It wasn’t created to destroy souls, but to destroy all evil."

His smile widened.

"And during the age in which that kingdom stood... demons were considered the embodiment of evil and thus were vanquished by its power."

He could still remember the summon background story from King Arthur’s summon profile.

Excalibur was forged not simply to kill, but to bring an end to evil itself. And against demons, there had once been no greater weapon.

The others simply stared at him, completely lost as to what he was talking about.

Ethan, however, looked as though several disconnected pieces had finally begun falling into place. "As for the linking...I think I know the exact person for that."

He turned toward the staircase and headed upstairs at a brisk pace.

Some of the others exchanged confused glances.

But a few of them, like Eduardo, had this understanding smile. They had seen that expression on Ethan’s face enough times to recognize it.

It was the look Ethan wore whenever he had just found the answer to a rather difficult problem.

Ethan stepped into the quiet of his room and gently closed the door behind him.

He let out a slow breath before closing his eyes and speaking into his thoughts.

’Merlin.’

There was no response at first until Ethan spoke again. ’Rambler... I know you can hear me.’

Then a familiar voice, carrying a touch of whimsy, finally echoed back.

[I’m currently in the middle of something, you know.]

[But if I don’t answer you now, I have a feeling the voice inside my head is simply going to keep ringing until I lose my sanity.]

[So... what is it this time, Ethan?]

Ethan’s smile widened slightly as he replied, "I need your help."

They had both communicated through the Sigil of the Spirit King, which Merlin had been marked with a few months ago, making him Ethan’s Blessed.

⸻

At a research laboratory in Dynadale City...

Ethan slowly walked through the spacious facility, quietly observing the rows of magical instruments and equipment around him.

His eyes eventually met Alistair’s across the other side of the laboratory, and the two simply exchanged silent nods. Alistair was currently playing the role of some sort of apprentice to the Mage of Alchemy.

Ethan continued farther toward Merlin. "I didn’t think you’d still be in Dynadale."

Mr. Stark had arrived using the same swift method he had relied upon after being expelled from Anton’s dimensional space.

By summoning one of his summons beside Merlin through the sigil connecting them, he had simply exchanged places with it, instantly appearing where the summon had been standing.

Merlin added one drop of some formula to a brewing potion before straightening up with a small shrug. "Turns out there’s quite the magical curiosity around here."

He lazily gestured toward the various ongoing experiments filling the laboratory. "One of Alistair’s friends owns this place, so I figured I’d indulge myself a little longer."

"Though I’ll probably leave this city sometime within the next week."

"I see," Ethan muttered.

There was little time for idle conversation as he immediately produced the dark purple crystal and handed it over to Merlin.

In only a few minutes, he laid out the entire predicament, from the hundreds of infected victims to the impossibility of gathering them all before noon.

Merlin turned the crystal over between his fingers. "So..." he said at last. "How exactly am I supposed to help with this?"

Ethan gestured. "Because I know the nature of your magic. I figured if there’s any mage that might be able to do what I want, it could only be you."

He nodded toward the Beelstone.

"I need every one of these linked together... can your magic accomplish that, by whatever absurd methods you use?"

Merlin stared at the crystal for a few moments "Hmm... Perhaps."

Then he smiled a bit. "If your objective is to make every one of them share the same fate, then perhaps I don’t need to link them at all."

He gently tossed the crystal into the air before catching it again.

"I could simply cast an illusion that gives this one and every other one like it a singular identity."

Ethan looked puzzled. "How so?"

Merlin continued. "Imagine a situation where the world recognizes every one of these crystals, not as thousands of separate objects, but as one and the same object."

Ethan looked slightly surprised and gave a nod.

Merlin’s smile slowly faded as he continued examining the Beelstone.

"However... there are two problems. First, from what you’ve told me, these things are scattered throughout the entire country."

He shook his head. "I don’t possess enough magical power to cast an illusion over something that vast."

"Maybe the city, but an entire country? No."

He raised the crystal slightly. "Second... the magic that created this... is extraordinarily powerful. My illusion magic simply doesn’t compare."

Ethan remained calm. "If I let you channel my mana while I amplify your magic to twice its current strength.."

"Tell me... would you be able to cast the spell then?"

Merlin stared at him, almost amused. "You’re suggesting that you’d have enough mana to power a country-level spell?"

Ethan smirked and extended his right hand forward. "Try me."