Kain did not hesitate to share this concern with Mera, but she had a simpler thought.

"But I think... if you can win, you should just win, right?"

"If what you said is true, that this game is actually a tool for control, then this control also comes from the balance of ability and the rules of the game. That means the balance is ultimately for the sake of the players, not for its inherent purpose."

"It's like two people pulling a rope in opposite directions. The rope stays in the same position not because they're not trying to pull, but because they are both trying to pull, and the forces neutralize each other, keeping the rope still."

"So, as long as someone is capable of intervening and winning, that would still be within the rules of the game. Don't you agree, Kain?"

Kain was slightly stunned by Mera's explanation, and then he smiled.

"You're right. I was overthinking it."

"Although this game is truly a tool to contain the nobility, it's still a game. Containment is only its hidden purpose."

"The hidden purpose is not something that can be brought to the surface, so as long as someone wins while following the rules, no one can say anything."

Speaking of this, Kain suddenly thought of something.

"That's right, the balance."

"Mera, do you still remember the content of that letter? Faith's letter?"

"Of course, I remember. Faith challenged us to defeat the Sword Family in this game..."

"There's another part. Before that, Faith mentioned that the Sword Family is a terrifying thing. Even his way of referring to the Sword Family was separate."

"You mean, Faith and the Sword Family are in conflict? Then why is he helping the Sword Family participate in the game?" Mera asked, confused.

Kain frowned and replied.

"It's to destroy this inherent balance."

"I think I've figured out what Faith is planning."

However, just before Kain could continue, a sudden knocking sound came from outside the room. The knocking was steady, echoing down the empty corridor outside.

"Come in," Kain called out, thinking it was the butler of the estate who wanted to call on them.

However, right after he called, there was no responsive voice from the butler as expected. Instead, the knocking stopped.

Immediately, Kain activated the magic skill [Imitative], followed by [Seek]. In his mind, an image of four individuals was projected: one standing nearest the door, seemingly the one who had just knocked; two others slightly behind, turning their heads to talk; and finally, one at the very back, leaning against the wall.

Seeing this, Kain frowned.

Based on their arrangement and posture, the one who had just bent over to knock was acting as a runner, the two receding behind were acting like regular members, and the one at the very back, leaning against the wall, was the group's leader.

"A group gathering, knocking on the door, but not answering?"

"But looking at their demeanor, they don't seem like enemies breaking in. What's going on?"

Just as Kain was wondering, the door was suddenly smashed open. Mera reacted a step ahead of him, releasing an [Air Vortex] right onto the shattered door, sweeping the door fragments into an attack.

Kain was also cut off from his thoughts. He could only momentarily set aside his confusion, using the pair of magic skills [Imitative] and [Seek] to see that the four people had retreated to the other side of the corridor.

"They smashed the door but didn't attack, and they're sneaking away. What is their intention?"

Kain couldn't help but wonder, yet he didn't hesitate at all.

[Thunder Flash].

[Enhancement Body].

He had already armed himself and immediately shot out the wooden doorway, heading straight for the four individuals.

They were shocked to see Kain approaching so quickly, not expecting him to counterattack so fast and powerfully.

At this moment, Kain also saw the four men. They were all masked, but that didn't matter. He would know who they were once he unmasked them.

"Mid-class Magus!" one of them cried out in horror, seemingly unable to comprehend that a commoner invited here would be a mid-class Magus, and not an ordinary one at that.

Kain's mind was racing with possibilities, but now was not the time. A series of lightning spheres suddenly appeared around him, all firing toward the group of intruders. Of course, Kain wasn't simply trying to kill them; he needed them alive. For now, neutralizing them with lightning was enough.

The intruders hadn't expected Kain to be so decisive, and his speed was extremely fast. In an instant, he had subdued all four men.

Mera emerged from the room, but she didn't approach or do anything. Instead, she stood at the entrance to the corridor, vigilantly watching all sides.

Although Kain's [Imitative] and [Seek] could effectively detect intruders, these two magic skills still had a significant limitation: their range was too short. While the range of [Imitative] and [Seek] could completely cover the area from inside the room to the corridor outside the door, this was a large estate, and their location was only a small part of it.

This was where Mera's [Air Magic] came into play. Using air currents that flowed through the corridors and room gaps, she could roughly assess the situation. This wasn't an official magic skill like the four basic mid-class magic skill, but an advanced application, similar to how Kain built his lightning network.

The "wind map" was quickly absorbed by Mera. She frowned, communicating with Kain, who was not far away, through the wind.

"A group of people is rushing up to this floor. It's unclear if they are friend or foe."

"Thank you," Kain mouthed in response. He then looked at the four men lying sprawled on the ground and decisively pulled off their masks.

"Not estate staff?"

The faces of the staff members Kain had seen so far flashed through his mind, and these four were not among them. However, Kain still didn't rule out the possibility that there were staff he hadn't seen, or that information had been deliberately hidden from him.

In fact, from the moment the door was smashed, he had been making deductions and forming suspicions. His suspicion naturally pointed to none other than Jamie, the mistress of the estate. Although it seemed illogical since they had just chatted amicably and signed an agreement, Kain never looked only at the immediate situation. He looked at the entire context.

The entire context, meaning starting with the resource competition game that involved all of Adia's nobility as the basis for assessment. This was, of course, a very important thing—too important to mess up for any family. And Kain was certain that this practice of hiring geniuses to compete on behalf of the family was not something that had only been done recently.

So, had these families never tried to win in an unorthodox way? Naturally, nobles valued honor and needed to save face. It wasn't easy for them to engage in such behavior, but this was only a superficial view.

What was being competed for here was the right to distribute resources for the next three years. A loss, while not enough to collapse these large, generational families, would slow down their ability to sustain and develop. And in a race, slowing down compared to others is just as serious as them speeding up past you.

That's why, for at least the last 30 years, the ten families have maintained an invisible balance. Because as soon as anyone rises up, they will be pulled down by the others, and even the two great families, the Sword Family and the Bethel Family, are no exception. This is exactly what the person behind this whole situation intended. No one gets too strong, yet it also prevents the noble families from having the heart to resist.

But surely, no one wanted to be the winner?

Kain didn't think so.

So, to win, the most fundamental thing the noble families would do is train their heirs and participants to be excellent strategists. Or rather, a strategist who is more exceptional than normal, capable not only of handling internal and external family matters but also of successfully navigating the strange "games" set by the organizers.

But, this is also where the problem lies.

Dealing with internal and external family matters is not that difficult, or rather, there are established lessons to learn, precedents to follow, and history to look at and gain experience from. But playing the game is different. It challenges the participants' adaptability and creativity greatly.

A family can train an excellent heir, but it cannot train a genius.

A genius is born.

Just like Mera and Kain in the previous test game set by Jamie. Mera is an intellect that has been, and is currently being, honed, but her thinking is not yet sharp enough, and her thoughts are not yet multi-dimensional enough. This was evident in Kain's hand-guessing game and the maid's bowl-and-ball game. Although Mera has potential, when thrown into a new situation, her handling is still somewhat rigid and too influenced by past experience—which should only be a support, not the main pillar to rely on.

Experience is for development, not for dependence. Once dependent on experience, there is a high risk of stagnation, preventing further progress.

This is also the problem faced by the nobility of Adia, but this is not Kain looking down on the education provided by these noble families.