"You, you, you, "

Lux first pointed at Logan's face, her big eyes going perfectly round. Then both hands flew up on instinct to guard her chest.

Why?!

Why could this man say her family name out loud?!

She had come here all by herself!

How could Lux not be shocked? No, it was more than shock. She was honestly starting to get scared.

Why?!

The name he had just spoken wasn't Lux. It was Luxanna Crownguard.

Ever since Lux realized she had magic, she had hardly shown her face in Demacia. Before she had even gone to the capital, the Demacian nobility only knew that the little princess of House Crownguard had beautiful golden hair, but as for what she actually looked like, almost none of them knew.

And yet now, a strange man from Zaun had directly called her by name. How was Lux supposed to not be afraid?

Had this man been investigating her ever since she left Demacia?

What was he going to do to her? Kidnap her?

As a noble, Lux had naturally learned some things when she was young about protecting herself, and part of that had included lessons about just how much trouble it would cause for the family if she were abducted.

But she thought she had handled this trip well. Carefully. Secretly.

Because Demacia had remained closed off from the outside world for so many years, the outside world knew almost nothing about it. People beyond Demacia's borders should not have known who Luxanna was.

Thinking about the trouble she might bring upon her family and her country, Lux's teeth began to chatter. She suddenly started regretting running away. In the end, she was still just a teenage girl.

Once the excitement of adventure wore off and real trouble appeared, Lux had no idea what to do.

What was funny was that, even now, the hand she kept hidden behind her back was secretly gathering magic. She was pressed up against the bar, shrinking away from Logan like a little rabbit, but she had already prepared her counterattack.

No matter how reckless she was, no matter how immature, Lux was still a Crownguard.

"Don't be so nervous." Logan noticed Lux's guard immediately. He could sense the astonishing magic already flowing through the little hand hidden behind her back.

And honestly, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Looking at her, he shifted his shoulder and hitched Jinx a little higher before saying, "My name is Logan. You've probably heard that one."

Lux paused, then asked timidly, "Zaun's ruler?"

"That's right. Which is why I know your family name. There's nothing strange about that. Jarvan III and your aunt both asked me to help find you. They're very worried about where you ended up. And honestly, Lux, you've got some nerve. You really came to Zaun alone?"

The moment she heard that her aunt and Uncle Jarvan were looking for her, Lux relaxed visibly. She let out a breath.

Then Logan said, "Come on. Let's talk somewhere else."

"All right... I guess," Lux said, nodding.

Ten minutes later, inside Zaun's council building, Lux sat off to one side under the watchful eyes of a whole group of people. Feeling awkward, she lifted the porcelain teacup in front of her and took a small sip of the richly fragrant black tea, then peeked up at them.

Silco, Jayce, Mel, Logan, Jinx...

Quite a few of Zaun's top figures had come. Silco gave Lux a long once-over, then said right in front of her, "Should we contact Jarvan III and send her back?"

Hearing that, Logan hesitated.

Send Lux back?

He didn't really want to.

Not because of her looks. Logan had seen too many beautiful people by now. Lux absolutely had her own distinct charm, and with that gorgeous golden hair alone, calling her the most beautiful blonde in Runeterra wouldn't be a stretch. The aura she carried was distinctive too.

Sunny, pure, full of life. She could stand there with that bright gold hair and look like a little sun.

But what kinds of women had Logan seen lately?

He had seen Lissandra in human form, a queenly beauty. He had seen LeBlanc, that centuries-old serpent of a woman. Ashe, full of sacred grace. Sejuani, bursting with fierce, untamed strength. Then there was Riven, sharp and spirited, Cassiopeia, dangerous and alluring, Tristana, cute and mischievous, Syndra, gentle and intelligent, and Evelynn, mysterious and intoxicating.

When it came to beauty, Logan, Ahri's right-hand man, had resistance maxed out.

The reason he wanted Lux to stay in Zaun was her potential.

Lux's magical talent was on the same level as monsters like Ryze, Syndra, and Lissandra. And LeBlanc, well, not that Logan was trying to slander her, but if they were talking raw talent, Lux could absolutely leave LeBlanc in the dust.

Which meant Lux's future floor was at least demigod level. And on top of that, she could summon Galio, so if you did the math...

Don't let the way Lux looked right now fool you. She might seem like a timid little rabbit, but this rabbit was carrying the equivalent of two demigod-tier combat assets.

If Logan could keep Lux in the Twin Cities, she would be an enormous boost to the cities' future. Of course he didn't want to let that chance go.

But after thinking it over, he realized he didn't really have a solid reason to make her stay.

Before Logan could say anything more, Lux suddenly raised her voice.

"I'm not going back!"

"I, I'm absolutely not going back!"

She set down her teacup, lifted her little face, and said it loudly and earnestly, forcing herself to meet Silco's eyes.

Silco only gave a quiet scoff and ignored her, because whether Lux went back or not clearly wasn't up to her.

What Silco didn't expect was Logan suddenly walking over to Lux and asking, "Why don't you want to go back?"

"I just, I just don't!"

"But if you don't want to go back, you still need a reason, don't you?"

"Can't you just treat me like a normal traveler? Like everyone else who comes to Zaun? I'm no different from them."

"That's what Jarvan III and your aunt asked for. We're on good terms with Demacia right now. A request from the king and the marshal, and a request that's perfectly reasonable from every angle, do you really think we can refuse it?" Logan said.

"Then... can't you just pretend you never saw me? Just act like... like I never came to Zaun at all!"

Lux's idea changed with the wind, and even Silco was amused. He shook his head and said, "But we've already notified Jarvan III and Lady Tianna that we found you."

"If you suddenly disappear again, then the problem becomes ours," Silco said, looking at her. "And on top of that, are you seriously underestimating your own status this much? Do you understand that this little bout of willfulness of yours could cause trouble for both nations?"

Lux fell silent. But she looked like she was about to cry.

She sat there pouting, head lowered as she stared at her teacup, and then slowly her gaze drifted down from the tea to her own shoes.

Then, just as Lux was sinking deeper into misery, she heard Logan's voice.

"How about this? There is one way you can stay in Zaun. Lux, do you want to try it?"

Lux's head snapped up. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Logan.

"What way?"

As long as she didn't have to go back to Demacia, Lux was willing to do anything. She would've even worked here as a waitress if she had to. She had already thought about how she might earn money once she left.

After all, if her magic were exposed in the capital, then not only would she drag House Crownguard into trouble, she herself would be expelled from Demacia and exiled to some lonely island.

No, absolutely not. Anything but that.

She would rather wander the world forever than be banished to some island.

So when Silco accused her of being willful, Lux had desperately wanted to shout back at him.

What did he know?

She had run away precisely because she knew her identity getting exposed would implicate her family. How was that willful? That was responsible!

Honestly, people who didn't know anything always loved lecturing others.

"Lux, I know why you ran away." Logan first said that to her in a meaningful tone. Then, under Lux's confused gaze, he held out a hand.

Green wind swirled into his palm, forming a tiny whirlwind. The cool breeze brushed across Lux's face and made her eyes widen.

"You've been cursed too?"

"?"

Logan immediately realized what she meant, and her reaction made him laugh.

"A curse? This isn't a curse, Lux. Being able to use magic is not a sin. The ones at fault are the people who misuse magic for selfish gain!"

"Magic is a gift, a treasure Runeterra granted you. Demacia's anti-magic laws are backward and foolish. But in Zaun, you can practice your magic as much as you want, as long as you don't cause damage."

"This is... a gift?" Lux looked at Logan, then at the little green whirlwind in his palm. Hesitantly, she held out her own hand.

The moment she did, everyone in the room shut their eyes.

Because a blinding radiance exploded across the room, brighter than sunlight, pure and holy white, carrying a faint warmth with it.

Facing Logan, Lux asked in a small voice, "Mr. Logan... this really isn't a curse?"

Logan could feel the massive magical power pouring out of Lux.

It was honestly greater than his own current magic.

Before the system upgraded, Logan's magic had been like a small lake. After the upgrade, that lake had probably become a great river.

But Lux's magic?

Lux's magic was an ocean, bottomless and shoreless.

No wonder Galio got "fully charged" every time she laid a hand on him, enough to keep moving around happily for months at a time.

In pure combat ability, if she didn't call on Galio, Lux probably didn't even crack the top twenty in Runeterra, maybe not even the top thirty. But if you were talking only about raw magical reserves...

Then Lux's magic reserves were easily top five in all of Runeterra.

Galio, as a petricite colossus that had developed self-awareness, had it in his own lore that when he was sent to war, it took repeated bombardment from Noxus' magical legions just to get him moving, and even then only for a very short time.

But Lux, the tiny girl in his eyes, could just lay a hand on him once and keep him active for half a year.

And the craziest part was that it didn't cause her the slightest discomfort.

What she was supplying there was enough energy to keep a demigod-level being active for half a year.

And she felt absolutely nothing.

If that wasn't absurd, then what was?

"Of course not. Lux, you're a genius. Demacia suppressed your talent, but in Zaun, you can use that talent and practice your magic."

"The method for not going back to Demacia is simple too," Logan said. "Become a Zaunite."

Off to the side, Silco rubbed at his eyes and looked at Lux with fresh curiosity. Hah. No wonder Logan was taking this little girl so seriously. So she was a gifted mage.

"No." Lux rejected it immediately. Her eyes were firm, and she slapped one hand against her chest, which was a size up from Jinx's. "I'm Demacian. I love Demacia. Even if it has bad parts, I won't abandon it."

"You misunderstood me. I'm not asking you to betray your country. I want you to become an honorary professor at Piltover University. That way, you could remain in the Twin Cities under an official appointment and stay in Zaun as a diplomatic envoy."

"..."

"Me? A professor?" Lux pointed at her own face, looking utterly unconvinced. In a small voice, she said, "What would I even teach?"

"Magic."

"Lux, there are a lot of children in Zaun who can use magic, but they have no access to formal magical training," Logan said seriously.

There really were quite a few kids in Zaun with magical ability. Logan believed that had something to do with hex crystals and with Janna.

The magical aura of hex crystals had changed both Zaun and Piltover, and it had also affected the faithful of Janna, granting them stronger magical affinity.

Maybe the older generation of believers couldn't really master magic anymore, but their children had a real chance to learn.

Mages like Zeri, wildly talented and self-taught, were rare anywhere in Runeterra. Magic, in places like Noxus, was taught formally. The Noxian mage legions had proper coursework, and blood magic was a required subject for them.

So Logan wanted the Twin Cities to reach that point too.

Just as Lux was still hesitating, Vi suddenly pushed open the door and walked in.

She gave a casual whistle, and when Logan and Silco looked over, she said, "The Noxian delegation is here. Heh, and it's an old acquaintance."

As she spoke, Vi stepped aside, and several people in red came in.

At the front was a woman with a stunning figure, a slim pale waist, flaming red hair, and a scar across one eye that only added to her dangerous beauty.

"I'm Katarina, envoy of the Noxian delegation."

She stepped inside, one hand on her waist, and looked at the room as she spoke.

The moment Logan saw Katarina, he lit up and immediately waved her over.

"You came at the perfect time, Katarina."

"Hm?" Katarina frowned, puzzled.

Then Logan grinned and introduced Lux.

"This is Luxanna Crownguard of Demacia."

At the name Crownguard, Katarina's brow twitched once, then smoothed back out.

Crownguard, Luxanna.

Hah. So she was the little sister of that idiot who ran around the battlefield swinging an oversized sword and spinning in circles.

Logan watched Katarina with a smile.

Under Akali's training, Zaun's intelligence network had gained some real teeth, but in terms of gathering information, it still wasn't there yet. That was because Akali excelled at assassination and combat, not information gathering or setting traps.

But Katarina, eldest daughter of the Du Couteau assassin family, that was exactly her territory.

Katarina had probably grown up learning eight parts murder, torture, interrogation, and scouting.

Yeah...

Akali could stay on as director of intelligence. And Katarina, just like Lux, could get sent to Piltover to teach a specialized course of her own.

Come on.

You come to Zaun, and you think you're leaving?

No chance.

You're all staying.

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