Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the north province close to the frozen land, the weather in the Month of Harvest was already turning cold, but today was unusually cozy and comfortable.
A team of cavalrymen rushed on the desert. The sunlight illuminated their black armor and dyed the emblem of bloody bear gold.
They seemed to be searching for something, but they turned a blind eye to the mercenaries not far away from them as if the mercenaries were transparent.
“As I recall, Collective Stealth is a seventh-circle spell, isn’t it?” There was a mister among the mercenaries who did not look like a mercenary at all. He leaned against the horse lazily in a red tuxedo with a cup of wine in his hands, as if he feared that other people did not know that he was a debonair ‘noble’.
Katrina replied to Viscount Carendia’s question proudly. “The study of light has been going on throughout the history of the Congress. Therefore, we have a profound understanding about stealth. Individual stealth and collective stealth are essentially the same.”
“It is not very difficult to create a fifth-circle spell that boasts a partly collective stealth effect. As a matter of fact, you’ve never seen this spell because it can only trick the common knights, Mr. Viscount.”
“Sometimes I envy arcanists. You seem enthusiastic in exploration all the time, and you are never bored, unlike us who spend most of time rotting in gloomy castles. I sometimes feel that life is monotonous and nothing is interesting, and that living is no different from death.” Viscount Carendia sipped the wine, pretending that he was a melancholy artist.
Katrina smiled. “Mr. Vampire, are vampires not spirits? Why are you under the illusion that you are still alive?”
“It does make sense…” Viscount Carendia was suddenly lost for words faced with the lady who grew up under ‘Arcana Voice’ and Lucien’s education.
Anna looked at them with a smile. She delightedly discovered that the mysterious, powerful sorcerer, Sister Katrina, and the indescribably handsome vampire, Viscount Carendia, still had their normal side. They were not as arrogant and condescending as she feared that they would be.
After the cavalrymen were away, Katrina turned around to Anna and Yakov. “Have you decided where to go?”
Since Viscount Andree was Count Calcate’s only heir, the mercenaries feared possible retaliations even though the man should be executed as the culprit for the demon worship case. It was impossible for the Church to protect unimportant people like them all the time.
Therefore, after the incident was over, they seized the time to find their family. Pretending that they had been killed in the feast of slaughter, they left Calcate City with Katrina and Viscount Carendia.
“Sister Katrina, you left the symbol of the investigators of the Congress of Magic in the manor. I don’t think Count Calcate would pay much attention to us. Things will be the same as long as we don’t stay in the north province. So, we’ll choose a place we’re familiar with.” After surviving the crisis, Anna was less apprehensive about the lesser dangers. “What about you? Are you returning to the Congress of Magic?”
Having grown up in the Schachran Empire, they were far away from the knowledge of the world. Except for Yakov who worked temporarily with official sorcerers, the mercenaries never heard of the Congress of Magic or Allyn before. They only knew Holm, which was famous for clothing, unique jewelry and mines, and they often needed to protect the merchants who smuggled such goods.
Although Katrina had turned into a high and mighty sorcerer, the mercenaries couldn’t help but look at her after hearing Anna’s question, hoping to spend some more time with her.
“Other missions are still awaiting me. I won’t return to Allyn any time soon. Actually, you can go to Holm. It’s freer there and there are plenty of opportunities for practice. You will reach East Haven if you go north to the frozen land and then turn east. From there, it will be easy to go to Holm, especially when you are a knight, Yakov.” Suggested Katrina sincerely.
Anna’s eyes glittered in excitement, but she soon turned gloomy. “Sister Katrina, I actually thought of that before, but… but I’ve been born and raised on this land, and I love it from the bottom of my heart. The food, the architecture, the poems, the stories, the customs, and the way people live with each other are already etched to my heart. I don’t want to leave this place unless I have to. Perhaps, we will go to the few provinces in the east. There are plenty of resources and opportunities, too.”
“I’m thinking the same. Rest assured, I’m a knight. No noble will reject the allegiance of a knight. This is not one of those countries in the south which haven’t fought any war for centuries.” After a brief silence, Yakov said firmly. Maybe he would go to Allyn some day, but that would be when he was already a level-five grand knight, so that he could look at Katrina equally.
Without saying anything else, Katrina simply reminded Anna and Yakov in secret. “You’d better split with the mercenaries like Hank who betrayed you and not let them know your real destination, or they might betray you again in exchange for Count Calcate’s reward.”
Although she was not vicious enough to kill them, she did have the prudence of arcanists.
“…Alright.” Yakov and Anna were reluctant to accept the suggestion, but they finally nodded ruthlessly after recalling what happened in the prison. As experienced mercenaries, they had been used to death and slaughter, and they were certainly not emotional.
Assisted by magic, the team soon reached the frozen land in the north. Anna held Katrina’s hand affectionately, her eyes rippling with mist. “Sister Katrina, I’ll visit you in Holm sometime if there’s a chance.”
“You are welcome to come anytime. If possible, I may return to the empire again. When that day comes, you will be able to return to your hometown without concerns.” Katrina’s voice became gentle. In the Schachran Empire where there were no electromagnetism messaging, telegrams, wired phones, postal service and mailmen, since Yakov and Anna hadn’t decided which city to settle in, they probably would never get in touch again after their farewell.
Thinking about that, Katrina better recognized the significance of her teacher’s popularization of alchemical items.
Anna suddenly remembered something else. She asked in a low voice, “Sister Katrina, was the cosmos you summoned a legendary power? Was it from your teacher, your father, or…”
“It’s the ‘Atomic Universe’, the demiplane of my teacher ‘Atom Controller’. He’s a grand arcanist and a legendary sorcerer.” Katrina admitted frankly. Her teacher was certainly not an embarrassment for her. On the contrary, she felt proud to be her teacher’s student.
“Legendary sorcerer! Just like I thought! Is he as strong as the seraphs?” Anna appeared both shocked and curious. She did not know what a grand arcanist or Atom Controller was, but nobody dared underestimate a legendary sorcerer. The former governor of the north province was a female legendary sorcerer named Fitia, ‘Empress of Snow’. Therefore, marvelous stories about her had been left here. They were so unbelievable that people might think legendary sorcerers were only slightly weaker than real gods.
Katrina was good at snow spells partly because of her teacher and partly because of the horror stories of this sorcerer that she grew up with. She was naturally no stranger to the ruler. This ‘Empress of snow’, on the other hand, disappeared after the Magic Empire was destroyed. Nobody knew whether or not she was still alive.
“Seraphs…” Katrina smiled but did not reply. For her, her teacher was certainly stronger than common seraphs and very close to the Angel King.
After Anna, Yakov and the rest of the mercenaries embarked on their journey on the frozen land, Viscount Carendia finally said with a smile, “Evans is still not famous enough in the Schachran Empire. I believe they would’ve been more shocked if you compared him to ‘Observer’, ‘Silver-eyed Count’ or ‘Rhine Carendia’.”
That was because Rhine was on the execution list of the North Church, too. Lucien, having grown too fast and barely dealt with the North Church, on the other hand, was not wanted. The North Church understood its abilities very well and did not list all the leadership of the enemy forces. They’d only chosen the enemies who ‘committed crimes’ in their jurisdiction.
“The execution list of the North Church is not authoritative enough; the Cleansing List is much more-acknowledged…” Katrina talked as if it were arcanist study. For a sorcerer, to be included in the Cleansing List was an honor.
After a little chit chat, Viscount Carendia became solemn. “I still feel that there are a lot of enigmas in the demon worship case. The truth might not be what we guessed. Perhaps, Viscount Andree was also merely a chess piece…”
His suspicion came from the coincidences in the event. He did not have any proof or speculation so far.
“Yes. That’s why I simply listed the incidents we’d been through in the report that I submitted through the artificial planet. I didn’t draw any conclusion so that the misters of the Affair Committee wouldn’t be influenced. Perhaps, they have intelligence that we are unaware of…” Katrina nodded approvingly.
With the artificial planet, she submitted the mission report easily that night. Sometimes, the world seemed small to her, because there was absolutely no problem in communication when Allyn was so far away. It was not until when she saw Anna off just now that she realized that the world was still big, so big that two people might never see each other again after they said goodbye to each other.
“I’ve found my father’s traces around, so I need to hunt him. I have to step away from your next mission.” Viscount Carendia said with a smile, but his eyes were cold.
Father? Hunt? Are you not going to take care of that, Mr. Rhine? Katrina was very curious, but she was rational enough to not pursue any further. She left for Dumute on her own.
……
In Allyn, inside the Atom Institution…
Having just upgraded the Moon Timer, Lucien saw Heidi walking towards him with a journal in her hand the moment he entered the library. His student said passionately, “Master, this paper on ‘Elements’ has constructed a possible model for your speculation on negative energy and antiparticles.”
“A possible model?” Lucien had guessed what it was about based on the current studies. He asked back with a smile.
“Yes, the negative energy is the ocean in the vacuum. Perhaps, that is the source of our magic? Vacuums are not necessarily empty.” Heidi was quite interested in that. Annick and Sprint, also interested in the article, joined them.
Lucien smiled thoughtfully, “Yes. Vacuums are not empty.”
